Alban Gerhardt, Cecile Licad - Casals: Encores (2011)

Celebrated for his pivotal role in resurrecting the Bach suites for solo cello and championing their performance throughout his career, Pablo Casals' repertoire was much more far-reaching. Perhaps the best way to observe the breadth of his interests is to investigate the works he chose to perform as encores. Flashy, virtuosic show pieces certainly had their place in this repertoire, but Casals looked more favorable upon works that highlighted the more lyrical, soulful aspects of his instrument. Not content with the pieces already available to him, Casals was also responsible for greatly increasing the repertoire by contributing his own transcriptions, often of works by little-known composers.

Cellist Alban Gerhardt, who describes his early appreciation and admiration of Casals, has compiled a selection of 20 of Casals' favorite encores. Gerhardt's selection is as broad and varied as Casals himself, offering listeners an opportunity to peer inside the many facets of the extraordinary historical cellist. Gerhardt's sound is lean, focused, and penetrating, much like Casals. Unlike his counterpart, however, Gerhardt's possesses an almost perfect technique, resulting in performances that are almost too clean, too spotless. The recorded sound here is pleasantly simple and unadulterated, producing a nice, fluid balance with the piano accompaniment.