Peter Hörr, Oliver Triendl & Orpheus Quartet - Conrad Ansorge: String Quartets 1 & 2 - Cello Sonata op. 24 (2026) [Hi-Res]

Conrad Ansorge is one of those elusive figures in music history who cast a shadow across the biographies of prominent personalities without ever having come to the forefront of public consciousness themselves. We find his name among Franz Liszt’s last students, discover him as the teacher of Selim Palmgren and Wilhelm Furtwängler, and may even read that he was once described as the “metaphysician” of the piano—but if our interest in his own work is piqued, we come up almost empty-handed. A mere two or three pieces are currently available in the general catalog of recorded music, which is why this recording of the two string quartets and the cello sonata expands the available Ansorge repertoire by a full 100 percent. In doing so, we come to know an extraordinary rhetorician who undoubtedly draws inspiration from Beethoven’s late quartets: the expansive, emotionally charged recitatives, the complex counterpoint and heartfelt lyricism, the idiosyncratic structures, and the strange sonic effects create an irresistible pull—one to which we surrender all the more willingly as it invites us to return to these lasting impressions.