Oskar Falta presents selected soliloquies for cello alone, written in the troubled aftermaths of the two great world wars that have shaken the first half of the twentieth century. Eugène Ysaÿe’s meditative, deeply intimate Sonata, a cello twin of his more celebrated opus for solo violin, represents one of the cornerstones of the renaissance of the modern solo cello repertoire and an obvious homage to Bach. Henze’s expressive and at times grotesque Serenade, divided into brief characteristic movements, allows a sunray to shine through the ashes of destruction, perhaps in the hope of a brighter future to come. Finally, the inquisitive three Suites by Bloch offer a tragic retrospect – a dark-timbered dream of European nostalgia. Written in exile at the end of his life, inspired by the artistry of the Canadian cellist Zara Nelsova, they form a bridge between the old continent and Bloch’s American exile.

Oskar Falta – cello