Let there be no mistake:
Alban Gerhardt is a major talent, an
artist whose concert platform presence
transfers vividly to the recording studio.
No programme of music for the cello
could better illustrate his artistry
than this combination of some of the
most important solo cello works ever
composed.
The chosen repertoire,
Britten followed by Bach followed by
Kodály, works supremely well
as a musical sequence, so that one clear
option for the listener is to begin
at the beginning and take the performances
as offered, in the nature of a recital.
Once begun, the disc is hard to leave
aside. There can be no higher recommendation,
of course.
If there is a downside
it is neither in the playing nor in
the recording, but in the documentation.
For the collector gaining some background
about the music on offer is always a
priority, and there is scant information
to be found here. Rather the insert
notes concern themselves with an extended
interview with Gerhardt. While interesting
enough in its own terms, this misses
the point that for music lovers as for
musicians themselves, it is the music
that must come first. So anyone wanting
hard information about the pieces by
Kodály (most of all), Britten
and Bach will have to search elsewhere.
Gerhardt’s technical
command and sheer musicianship serve
the three composers well. Britten composed
his three Cello Suites for Mstislav
Rostropovich, and he therefore took
the commanding personality and technical
accomplishment of the player as a fundamental
principle. This new recording is blessed
with admirably clear and well controlled
sound, not too close, nor too remote,
and the result is satisfying indeed.
The same might be said
for the Bach Suite No. 5, in which the
control of phrasing and tempi is exemplary.
In the faster music there can be more
bite and attack than Gerhardt chooses
to employ, but that is a matter of judgement
and his performance succeeds without
reservation in articulating the music
and its various aspects. The finest
aspects are perhaps the most expressive
ones: the opening Prelude and the beautifully
shaped Sarabande.
Kodály’s Sonata
lays claim to the accolade of the finest
solo work for the instrument since Bach,
so it is pleasing to find it included
here. Again Gerhardt proves a sensitive
and compelling advocate, and again his
technical command is impressive. In
the accompanying interview he explains
his view of the music: ‘A highly emotional
piece that you have to succumb to hook,
line and sinker.’ And that is precisely
the effect his performance achieves
from the listener’s point of view.
Terry Barfoot
Alban Gerhardt (cello) 