Tim Posner (cello), Berner Symphonieorchester / Katharina Müllner

Bloch Schelomo (1917)
Bruch Kol Nidrei Op.47 (1880)
Dohnányi Konzertstück Op.12 (1904)

Claves CD3079 [56’21’’]
Producer & Engineer Johannes Kammann
Recorded September 2023 at Diaconis-Kirche, Bern, Switzerland

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the debut concerto album from British cellist Tim Posner, currently principal cellist with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. He has been awarded the Thierry Scherz prize at the Sommets musicaux de Gstaad, joining a list of illustrious cellists such as Nicolas Altstaedt, Pablo Ferrández and Anastasia Kobekina, as well as viola player Timothy Ridout, with whom he is a member of The Teyber Trio.

The winner of the Thierry Scherz prize gets a recording with Claves as part of their reward, and here Posner. together with conductor Katharina Müllner and the Berner Symphonieorchester have constructed an attractive program of concertante works for cello and orchestra, written in the style of a concerto but in single-movement form.

What’s the music like?

Bloch’s Schelomo is increasingly well-known, a powerful utterance for cello and orchestra in an extended single movement. Subtitling the piece Rhapsodie hébraïque, Bloch wrote the piece in six weeks, modelling it on chosen verses from the book of Ecclesiastes. In his words, the cello takes ‘the incarnation of King Solomon (the book’s author), while the orchestra ‘represents his internal world and his experience of life’. The themes are mostly original but are of Hebrew resonance, one a reproduction of a tune Bloch’s father would often sing.

The Konzertstück for cello and orchestra is not a well-known part of the output of Ernő Dohnányi, but it had personal significance for the composer when he completed it at the age of 26. The composer’s father was a fine amateur cellist, and he must have been at the front of Dohnányi’s mind when he wrote this single-movement work, set out as though it were a single movement concerto.

Bisecting the two larger works is Kol Nidrei, one of the most enduring of works for solo instrument and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was dedicated to Robert Hausmann, who premiered Brahms’s Double Concerto with Joseph Joachim seven years later. Kol Nidrei is based on two Hebrew melodies.

Does it all work?

Yes, it does. Posner brings a fresh approach to each of the three works and is extremely sensitive in his balancing with the orchestra and the melodic phrasing he applies.

Schelomo receives a commanding performance, but with room for the orchestra to make its telling contributions, ideally shaped under Katharina Müllner. Posner’s tone is beautiful throughout, and especially secure in the higher register sections, where he takes the part of Solomon with assurance and poise. There is some really nice detail in the smaller sections, where the Bern principal oboe really shines, and the whole mood is one of intense and passionate thought.

Kol Nidrei starts softly, lost in thought, but comes through to a chorale theme displaying emotional strength in depth, a real point of light in the darkness. Müllner’s pacing here is ideal.

The real discovery of the album is the Dohnányi, whose cheery, airy theme sets the tone for free flowing piece that proves contagious in its positivity. Cello and woodwind enjoy frequent dialogue, and the main theme is a joy when it reappears in orchestral guise half way through. The cello part is deceptively virtuosic, but it falls easily under Posner’s hands.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. This is an imaginative album, performed with sensitivity and flair. The trio of pieces are extremely complementary, and Posner’s verve and enthusiasm are infectious. It is to be hoped more recordings will follow from this source, for this is a very fine package all round.

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Published post no.2,170 – Monday 6 May 2024