Edward Elgar; Antonín Dvořák - Cello Concertos (Alban Gerhardt)

Information

Composer: Edward Elgar; Antonín Dvořák

• Elgar - Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85
• Dvořák - Cello Concerto in B Minor, B. 191

Alban Gerhardt, cello

WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

Andrew Manze, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Hyperion

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Cellist Alban Gerhardt’s first studio recording of the repertoire's two most famous cello concertos represents the culmination of a 35-year relationship with these masterpieces. Backed by the WDR Sinfonieorchester under conductor Andrew Manze, Gerhardt delivers interpretations that challenge long-standing performance conventions. By returning directly to the composers' original scores, he implements tempos and structural proportions that diverge significantly from traditional interpretations. Grounded in Gustav Mahler's philosophy that tradition should preserve fire rather than adore ashes, Gerhardt’s text-driven approach aims to deliver a performance that is both more alive and truer to the original musical instructions.

Born into a musical family in Berlin, German cellist Alban Gerhardt (b. 1969) is internationally acclaimed for his expressive artistry and extensive concert career. After studying under master pedagogues like Boris Pergamenschikow and winning top prizes at the ARD Competition and Leonard Rose International Cello Competition, his global career was launched by a 1991 debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has since performed with the world's premier orchestras across Europe and the United States. Renowned for championing contemporary repertoire, Gerhardt premiered Unsuk Chin's Cello Concerto at the BBC Proms—a recording that later won a BBC Music Magazine Award. He performs on a historic 1710 Matteo Goffriller cello and is highly regarded for his community outreach, bringing classical music outside traditional venues into schools, hospitals, and public commuter trains.

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