Oistrakh's performance of the 3rd movement actually brought me to tears. This is, hands down, the best recording of Shostakovitch's Concerto.

I believe this is the best recording of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 anywhere. Rostropovich does an amazing job. I very much enjoyed Oistrakh's interpretation and performance, after all, Shostakovich did dedicate it to him. I also enjoyed the orchestra's performance. So often the soloist will perform on a much higher level than the orchestra (or visa versa.) However, that is not the case with this rendition of the Shostakovich cello and violin concerto. The recording quality is decent but it is obviously not as good as recent recordings. This would be my first recommendation for anyone wishing to purchase either the Shostakovich cello or violin concerto.

Say what you will about modern recordings of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99, this recording, its first, is the best. In many years of collecting records, I put this in the top ten of any recording I've ever owned. Oistrakh, its dedicatee, and Mitropoulos and his New York orchestra played with unparalleled intensity. The Passacaglia, the heart of the work, is played more slowly than in modern recordings, and with a fervor that burns itself into your heart. The Cello Concerto is also given a classic performance by Rostropovich and Ormandy; Mason Jones, first horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, plays the very important horn solos brilliantly.