(5 out of 5 stars)
"A version of the Triple Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma as the Solo Cellist would be irresistible - and it is! This live recording from the Berlin Philharmonie is really stunning: the three soloists seem to talk, support and challenge each other through the 35-minute piece with the support of the "Beethoven Orchestra". Yo-Yo Ma is the youngest out of the three soloists, but he is more than able to get up to the job of being the leader, as the cellist is in this concerto(Barenboim played the Triple Concerto many times in the late 60's and early 70's with Pinchas Zukerman and Jacqueline du Pre - I would love to listen to a recording, if such a thing exists, of a live concert). It is in the last movement that the soloists really communicate with each other, and it is really, really great stuff. The sound quality, however, very opaque. The EMI engineers haven't done a job that matches the DG or Sony engineers in the same hall (which is notoriously difficult to record in, for some unknown reason). But ultimately it is the performance that matters, and hearing these artists make the listener forget the sonic limitations, because the joy of music-making is so evident in this performance. I would recommend this version as possibly the best on disc."