I have been waiting for someone to make the observation that in the same year as Yo Yo Ma made his newer recordings of the Bach cello suites (to accompany his series of videos), Janos Starker also recorded the suites. It was STARKER who won the Grammy that year for best solo classical recording. He was, I believe 71 at the time of the recording. The audiophiles on the list can likely supply chapter and verse. I find it interesting that Starker has made his enormous contribution to classical music and particularly the cello while carrying a great load of teaching, at Bloomington and around the country in master classes everywhere, as did another American cello great, Leonard Rose at Julliard. Yo Yo Ma on the other hand devotes himself to his video projects and his Bach gardens and so forth. I will let you judge the relative worth for yourselves. I will also venture into the Rostropovich debate (somewhat gingerly). Slava is a total dear of a man and certainly his playing is musical. His very being is musical. How he gets to that end is more the subject of debate amongst cellists. His flat fingered playing and collapsed knuckles are certainly not the technique that I was taught! It certainly seems to work for him and his enormous fleshy hands, but there are a few things about his technique which would in any other mortal 1) kill the vibrato and/or 2) cause repetitive strain injury to be more likely in the musician. So I find him more of a joy to listen to than watch. "Linda Rogers" <[log in to unmask]>