Compilation shows poetry and grunt of a great cellist

The late Jacqueline Du Pre would have been 60 this year, and EMI is marking the occasion with a dip into the archives for a specially priced triple CD set.

There is no arguing with much of what's here, from the cellist's first recordings with Gerald Moore to a taste of her final studio appearance with husband Daniel Barenboim.

Du Pre's concerto repertoire is generously represented by the classic Elgar with Barbirolli conducting, Dvorak, and a Boccherini work sadly overshadowed by two Haydn concertos that precede it.

The poetry and sheer grunt of Du Pre's Elgar have not dimmed in 40 years. Listen to the passion with which she flies into the second movement, and marvel.

I am far less happy, though, with the two single movements from Beethoven's Ghost Trio and the Brahms F major Cello Sonata - an abomination for anyone who respects these works as integral scores. Similarly, with Du Pre and Barenboim's recording of the Franck Sonata, we have only its final movement.

For my money, Saint-Saens' Swan, with tinkling harp, could happily have paddled off and found itself another compilation to roost in, although Schumann's Three Fantasy Pieces almost atone for all the shortcomings of this final disc. Youth and vigour are the calling cards here, with the Lebhaft, leicht movement positively skittish.

If you want a cello CD that delivers a few surprises, try Tatjana Vassilieva's Solo.

This young Russian has New Zealand connections, having won the Adam Cello Competition in 1999. Further international awards led to a debut on Naxos Records and, recently, more adventurous releases on the French Accord label.

Dramatic Games, her first album of solo fare, dashing off Penderecki, Schnittke and Saariaho, sank unloved into the bargain bins.

Solo, the second outing, is less radical but deserves to be pursued for its thrilling account of Kodaly's magnificent 1915 Sonata. It's a cleverly balanced set. A sonata by Ysaye shows the violinist-composer basking in the rich, all-encompassing sound world that the bigger instrument can offer, while Suites by Cassado and Tcherepnine offer stylish sidetrips to Spain and Russia.

Jacqueline Du Pre, The Very Best Of (EMI 86597, 3 disc set); Tatjana Vassilieva, Solo (Accord 476 7191, through Universal Music)