Jacqueline du Pré, Janet Baker, John Barbirolli, London Symphony Orchestra - Elgar: Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures (2004)

The Elgar Cello Concerto and cellist Jacqueline du Pré are inextricably linked and this 1965 EMI recording of du Pré with John Barbirolli and the London Symphony Orchestra is the first great recoding of the work the ill-fated artist was to make. Barbirolli's invitation for the 21-year-old du Pré to perform the concerto thrust her into the international spotlight and remains one of her most cherished recordings. No one could ever fault du Pré for a lack of drama or intensity. Some would even say that these characteristics are overly exaggerated in her playing. But this performance breathes such passion, such nuance, and such yearning into the concerto that it quickly elevated it into one of his most recognizable compositions. Few have come close to the power of the du Pré's first movement, the nimble sprightliness of the second, the emotional impact of the third, or the nobility of the finale. Du Pré was not the only one making history with Barbirolli. The young mezzo-soprano Janet Baker also joined Barbirolli in 1965 for an equally sublime performance of Elgar's Op. 37 Sea Pictures. Baker's voice here is unbelievably controlled and pure, her diction is wonderfully clear, and the word painting achieved both with her own voice as well as the assistance from the orchestra completely mesmerizing. Though both of these recordings have been reissued many times, they continue to be standards against which all subsequent attempts are compared.