Composer: Benjamin Britten
Performer: Alban Gerhardt, Steven Osborne
Orchestra: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Andrew Manze
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Release: 2012
Size: 1.8 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Cello Symphony, Op. 68
01. I. Allegro maestoso
02. II. Presto inquieto
03. III. Adagio – Cadenza ad lib –
04. IV. Passacaglia. Andante allegro
Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 65
05. I. Dialogo. Allegro
06. II. Scherzo-Pizzicato. Allegretto
07. III. Elegia. Lento
08. IV. Marcia. Energico
09. V. Moto perpetuo. Presto
CD 02
Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72
01. I. Canto primo. Sostenuto e largamente
02. II. Fuga. Andante moderato
03. III. Lamento. Lento rubato
04. IV. Canto segundo. Sostenuto
05. V. Serenata. Allegretto, pizzicato
06. VI. Marcia. Alla marcia moderato
07. VII. Canto terzo. Sostenuto
08. VIII. Bordone. Moderato quasi recitativo
09. IX. Moto perpetuo e Canto quarto. Presto
Cello Suite No. 2, Op. 80
10. I. Declamato. Largo
11. II. Fuga. Andante
12. III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
13. IV. Andante lento
14. V. Ciaccona. Allegro
Cello Suite No. 3, Op. 87
15. I. Introduzione. Lento
16. II. Marcia. Allegro
17. III. Canto. Con moto –
18. IV. Barcarola. Lento –
19. V. Dialogo. Allegretto –
20. VI. Fuga. Andante espressivo
21. VII. Recitativo. Fantastico
22. VIII. Moto perpetuo. Presto
23. IX. Passacaglia. Lento solenne – Mournful Song – Autumn – Street Song – Grant Repose
24. Tema ‘Sacher’ (1976)
Alban Gerhardt’s 2013 double-disc on Hyperion consists of the cello masterpieces that Benjamin Britten composed for his friend, Mstislav Rostropovich, and which were his most important instrumental works of the 1960s and early 1970s. The first work to grow out of this famous association was the Sonata in C for cello and piano, which Rostropovich and Britten premiered in 1961, and which was followed not long after by the Cello Symphony, a serious sinfonia concertante rather than a showy concerto, which the cellist and composer recorded in 1965. The three suites for solo cello were composed between 1964 and 1971, and while their technical aspects put them among the most challenging works in the solo repertoire, their profound expressive qualities link them to the great cello suites of Bach. Gerhardt’s playing is rich and sonorous, and his performance of the sonata with Steven Osborne is well-matched for tone and execution. The Cello Symphony is a much larger statement, and while Gerhardt is placed front and center in the recording, the huge sound of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, under Andrew Manze, somewhat dwarfs his efforts, and the cello’s sound seems thin and dry compared to the orchestra’s massive accompaniment. However, the recordings of the cello suites are warm and full-bodied, and feature Gerhardt’s best playing with a marvelous sense of presence and passion.