Pablo Casals and YouTube

I recently came across some videos of Pablo Casals on YouTube.
Having revered him all of my adult life through recordings and learned from his disciples, I still had never seen him live or on film. It's a great experience.
Certainly Casal's genius encompassed the entire musical universe but it's always his sound that enthralls: a human voice communicating through the gamut of human emotions and aspirations. Oftentimes beautiful but oftentimes strained, striving.
But its really more than a human voice. It's the voice of the 'cello too, a composite voice.
The human soul seems to inform the body of 'cello with an expression that originates deep inside Casals as he gathers sound from deep inside the 'cello and creates a unique voice that is neither flesh nor wood.
Compare the Casals recording of the Bach 'cello suites with Janos Starker's where Starker's mechanically perfect playing never establishes a relationship deeper than fingers on strings.

There is an excellent book that serves as companion to the study of Casals: Casals and the Art of Interpretation by David Blum.

Casals was, of course, unique, but he there were others of his type.
Bronislaw Huberman comes to mind as does Arnold Jacobs, the legendary tubist is another.