Those for whom the benchmark recordings of these cornerstone concertos remain Rostropovich’s and Du Pré’s will want to know that Alban Gerhardt regards them equally highly, albeit with reservations about “certain interpretive choices”.

Quoting Mahler in his introductory note – “Tradition must not be the adoration of ashes but the preservation of fire” – Gerhardt has gone back to the specific markings of the scores (meticulously so in Elgar’s case) to attempt a greater fidelity than the freer way with tempi, shaping and characterisation that has become the norm on disc with both works. The results may not please adherents of the illustrious names above, but there is no denying the edifying freshness Gerhardt’s approach brings.

It’s immediately noticeable in the edge and tensile strength with which the Elgar opens, and in the rich expressive tone throughout, well-defined contours drawing out the music’s intrinsic nobility without neglecting its reflective inwardness and warmth where those considerations matter most.

Gerhardt’s refusal to indulge in the languorous tempi that have accumulated around the reverence towards the concerto makes for a bold and brisk (though never hurried) reading. It carries itself with a persuasive sense of authority the composer might well have approved of. Diluted, too, is the lush romanticism and voluptuous sonority it is usually draped in, though neither its nobility nor expressive depth is sacrificed.

A similar approach is taken to the more variegated Dvořák to comparably effective ends. Absent are the grandstanding Bohemian flourishes (though Gerhardt’s reading is clearly rooted in its soil) and grandiose heart-on-sleeve gestures the piece tempts, not least in the measured momentum of the finale. Resisting inflating the concerto’s heroic gestures, Gerhardt carefully shapes and manages them instead to allow the music’s rhythmic drive and lyric impulse to co-exist without strain, and satisfyingly so.
In both concertos, the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Andrew Manze prove adroitly sympathetic to the lean lyricism and controlled emotions of Gerhardt’s vision.

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 Composers: Elgar, Dvořák
Works: Cello Concertos
Performers: Alban Gerhardt vc, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Andrew Manze
Label: Hyperion CDA68486