Popper: High School of Cello Playing

Sure, it's an achievement for any cellist to study the Popper etudes and perform/record them all, but...There's a couple of wrong notes, some unsteady playing, odd pulses (e.g. in Étude 6, and I don't mean Popper's own accents), some "casual"/unmusical/plowing-through phrase endings, frequent bowings that differ from the "standard" editions (following his own Dover edition, replete with changes of bowings and fingerings?). Intonation is not a problem except a couple of times, understandably.Recommended, despite the aforementioned shortcomings

This is a wonderful two-CD recording of the Popper etudes. These are truly pedagogical pieces, and are not works that one would necessarily sit down and listen to like the Liszt Piano Etudes. That being said, the performances are excellent. This set is a great buy for those studying cello, as the High School of Cello Playing is standard repertoire for any advancing cellist. Yablonsky does a great job in clearly presenting works that can be quite challenging to play.

This CD is a big help for me. Some of the fingerings and harmonies can be tricky in these etudes, and it is so much easier to learn them if you know what they sound like. If you are just starting one of these etudes, and you're learning the notes, you're not even sure you've hit the right note or not when you're way up in thumb position, and you end up breaking your hand position to check the note. But, if you listen to the recording several times before you play it, it really saves a lot of time.The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that I use the CD for a learning tool, not to enjoy the music. So, as a learning tool, it would be better if some of the tempos were a little slower. Mr. Yablonsky is making music out of the etudes instead. This is a slight disadvantage for practicing, but it enhances the experience and enjoyment of playing them.The cost of the CD is much less than one cello lesson, and you'll save lesson time so it's a bargain!