These Silent Woods

New Czech recordings of perennially popular serenades from the pen of Dvořák at a turning point in his career, full of freshness, Bohemian charm and flowing melodies.

New Czech recordings of perennially popular serenades from the pen of Dvořák at a turning point in his career, full of freshness, Bohemian charm and flowing melodies.

Why ‘Geister Duo’? The question often came up during the concerts. The name comes from Robert Schumann’s last piano work, the Geistervariationen, whose theme Johannes Brahms, a close friend of the Schumanns, used to compose his own Variations op. 23 for piano four hands.

Following the 2017 complete edition released for the 10th anniversary of Rostropovich’s death, the greatest cellist of his time is now part of the 100 Best Series. These new compilations take the best of his recordings for Warner Classics as a cellist in the 2017 Remastering and also as a conductor.

The tragedy of du Pré’s brief career is still fresh in the public memory and can be summarised here. She was born in Oxford on 26 January 1945 into a middle-class family in which music was important: her mother was a fine pianist and a gifted teacher. The French-sounding name came from her father’s Channel Islands ancestry. Just before her fifth birthday, when she was already showing musical promise, she heard the sound of a cello on the radio and the course of her life was set.