With Edward Elgar's and Antonín Dvořák's cello concertos, Alban Gerhardt devotes himself to two key works in the repertoire – and with his first studio recording simultaneously presents an artistic summary of 35 years of intensive engagement with this music.

Together with the WDR symphony orchestra under the direction of Andrew Manze, interpretations emerge that deliberately break with traditional listening traditions. Gerhardt views his approach as a "return to the sources" – to the scores themselves – and thus reopens the question of the so-called "correct" approach to these iconic works.

His consistent orientation toward the score leads to partly unusual tempos and proportions, which unfold a special freshness and directness and come closer to the detailed prescriptions of Elgar and Dvořák.

Entirely in the spirit of Gustav Mahler – 'Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of the fire' – this recording lets the radiance of two masterpieces ignite anew.