Alban Gerhardt - Reger: Cello Sonatas

Alban Gerhardt�s profound musicality and charisma have made him one of the most sought-after cellists of his generation. His ebullient personality is present in all his performances; he is nevertheless passionately committed to the intentions of the composer, and his recordings are always the product of an intense personal journey into every aspect of the music. Gerhardt�s espousal of Reger�s cello sonatas and suites is thus greatly welcomed. Pianist Markus Becker has released twelve discs of Reger�s keyboard music and is an ideal interpreter.Reger�s cello sonatas and suites demonstrate every facet of this complex composer and individual. The composer�s passionate commitment to German Romanticism and his neo-Classical inspirations are both here: the great influence by Brahms and then the conscious shrugging-off of that mantle in the face of a complex and progressive stylistic advance. The sonatas span the duration of his career and culminate in the late unaccompanied suites, whose ambition to emulate J S Bach is both patent and largely fulfilled. The duo sonatas demand�and receive in this recording�not only a cellist of unusual powers of empathy and bravura, but also a first-rate pianist. This is fascinating and difficult repertoire, wonderfully performed and recorded.