Popper: Mazurka in G minor, Op. 11 No. 3

This sensational new release from German cellist Alban Gerhardt recaptures the novelty of the much-loved encores performed by Pablo Casals. Spanish-born Casals was universally recognized as one of the world’s greatest cellists and had a vast repertoire of intimate encores which were adored by his audiences. The disc features transcriptions of works by many notable composers including Fauré, Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Boccherini and Wagner. Also featured are frequently performed musical gems by David Popper: Vito, Chanson villageoise and his Mazurka in G minor, pieces which have gained a special place in the cello literature.

Gerhardt performs these miniature masterworks with extraordinary finesse and verve. His very personal interpretations never lapse into self-indulgence and he projects a distinctive luminescence of tone with infallible intonation. Gerhardt is intelligently partnered and perfectly matched by pianist Cecile Licad on her Hyperion debut. This unique disc demonstrates sublime musicianship, with both performers revelling in a wide expressive scope from the vivacious to the lyrical.

This anthology of Hungarian music for cello and piano ranges widely from Liszt’s haunting The Nonnenwerth Cloisters and two salon pieces by the great 19th century cello virtuoso Popper, to composers of the 20th century. Bartók’s First Rhapsody is an original folk-song arrangement intended to popularise the composer’s music as part of a lighter genre. Dohnányi’s Sonata in B flat, Op. 8, for cello and piano, is a formidable work in four movements written in the tradition of the great Romantic sonata. Rósza’s Toccata capricciosa, a fantasy on Hungarian themes, is a virtuosic tour-de-force for solo cello.