Jacqueline Ophir

Renowned as a great interpreter of Brahms, Jacqueline du Pré, here at the peak of her art and technical abilities, delivers the latest version recorded with her husband Daniel Barenboim in May-August 1968. A pillar of the cello repertoire, the Two Sonatas benefit from a new remastering in 192kHz/24-bit from original tapes by Art & Son Studio, Annecy.

Jacqueline du Pré and Daniel Barenboim formed the most glamourous and successful couple of classical music in the late 60s, both on stage, in private and on record.

Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Jacqueline François and Michel Legrand and His Orchestra, Jacqueline François, Yves Montand, Jacqueline François and Paul Durand and His Orchestra.

Jackie was always the most exciting cellist," Yo-Yo Ma, Jacqueline du Pré's fellow-cellist, has said. "It would be hard to think of another that took as many risks as she did… always for expressive reasons.

Cellist Jacqueline du Pre is joined by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim for this 1970 recording of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104. At a young age, cellist Jacqueline du Pre achieved mainstream popularity. She is regarded as one of the most distinctive cellists of the last half of the 20th century. Her career was cut short by a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis which stopped her performances at the age of 27. This release was recorded November 11, 1970 at the Medinah Temple in Chicago du Pre and contains Dvorak’s 3 movements: Allegro, Adagio ma non troppo and Finale: Allegro Moderato as well as the additional piece of music Silent Woods, Op. 68.

Jacqueline du Pré and Stephen Kovacevich (then known as Stephen Bishop) formed a short but acclaimed chamber duet in the early 1960s, while the pianist had moved to London where he met his partner, to study with Myra Hess. Their successful tour in Britain led to the studio recording of this superb album of two Beethoven sonatas. An excellent addition to the complete set of sonatas and variations recorded live with Daniel Barenboim a few years later!

"Towards the end of 1971 the harsher realities of illness dashed all Jacqueline du Pre's hopes of a studio recording of Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano with her husband,

Although this disc is most famous for being Jacqueline Du Pre’s debut cello recital, we should certainly not bypass the marvellous contribution from the distinguished artist Herbert Downes.

Jacqueline du Pré, performing with the two conductors most closely associated with her career, brings characteristic exuberance, passion and colour to three cello concertos rooted in the 18th century. In his memoir A Life In Music, Daniel Barenboim wrote: “I have never encountered anyone for whom music was such a natural form of expression as it was for Jacqueline … She had a capacity to imagine sound such as I never met in any other musician.”