Encores - As Performed By Pablo Casals

Alban Gerhardt, cello; Cecile Licad, piano

Popper: Chanson villageoise Op 62 No 2 / Mazurka in G minor Op 11 No 3 / Vito Op 54 No 5
Debussy: Menuet
Godard: Berceuse de Jocelyn
Sgambati: Serenata napoletana Op 24 No 2
Lassen: Mit deinen blauen Augen
Chopin: Nocturne in E flat major Op 9 No 2 / 'Raindrop' Prelude Op 28 No 15
Fauré: Après un rêve Op 7 No 1
Wagner: To the Evening Star
Elgar: Salut d'amour Op 12
Boccherini: Allegro moderato
Falla: Nana
MacDowell: Romanze Op 35
Granados: Andaluza Op 37 No 5
Kreisler: Chanson Louis XIII and Pavane
Saint-Saëns: Le Cygne from The Carnival of the Animals / Allegro appassionato Op 43
Casals: The Song of the Birds

Gramophone Editor's Choice - September 2011
This sensational new release from German cellist Alban Gerhardt recaptures the novelty of the much-loved encores performed by Pablo Casals. Spanish-born Casals was universally recognized as one of the world's greatest cellists and had a vast repertoire of intimate encores which were adored by his audiences. The disc features transcriptions of works by many notable composers including Fauré, Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Boccherini and Wagner. Also featured are frequently performed musical gems by David Popper: Vito, Chanson villageoise and his Mazurka in G minor, pieces which have gained a special place in the cello literature.
Gerhardt performs these miniature masterworks with extraordinary finesse and verve. His very personal interpretations never lapse into self-indulgence and he projects a distinctive luminescence of tone with infallible intonation. Gerhardt is intelligently partnered and perfectly matched by pianist Cecile Licad on her Hyperion debut. This unique disc demonstrates sublime musicianship, with both performers revelling in a wide expressive scope from the vivacious to the lyrical.

Price: $19.98