Elgar

With the cello concertos of Edward Elgar and Antonín Dvořák, Alban Gerhardt devotes himself to two key works from the repertoire – and with his first studio recording, he simultaneously presents an artistic summary of 35 years of intensive immersion in this music.

Together with the WDR-Sinfonieorchester under the direction of Andrew Manze, interpretations have emerged that deliberately break with traditional listening traditions. Gerhardt views his approach as a "return to the sources" – to the scores themselves – and thereby poses the question of the so-called "correct" approach to these iconic works anew.

His consistent orientation towards the score leads to partly unusual tempi and proportions, which unfold a particular freshness and directness and come closer to the detailed prescriptions of Elgar and Dvořák.

Entirely in the spirit of Gustav Mahler – 'Tradition is not the veneration of ashes, but the preservation of the fire' – this recording allows the radiance of two masterworks to blaze forth once more.