from Britten: Cello Symphony, Cello Sonata & Cello Suites (CDA67941/2) 1 Canto primo: Sostenuto e largamente [2'30] 24 minutes 40 seconds 9 tracks2 I Fuga: Andante moderato [3'42] 3 II Lamento: Lento rubato [2'35] 4 Canto segundo: Sostenuto [1'21] 5 III Serenata: Allegretto, pizzicato [1'57] 6 IV Marcia: Alla marcia moderato [3'06] 7 Canto terzo: Sostenuto [2'12] 8 V Bordone: Moderato quasi recitativo [3'50] 9 VI Moto perpetuo e Canto quarto: Presto [3'27] ‘Given Gerhardt's fine Britten credentials, this makes a recommendable package: performances are well judged, with clean-cut rhythms and good attention to detail’ (Gramophone) ‘Gerhardt plunges into the labyrinthine mazes of the solo suites and strikes gold. This is a real tour de force: in such late works Britten reached expressive extremities found nowhere else in his oeu ... ‘This poetic, virtuosic player makes a powerful case for the three unaccompanied Cello Suites’ (The Observer) |