Carl Reinecke (1824-1910) was born in Altona, near Hamburg. Under his father’s tutelage he studied the violin, but later turned his attention to the piano. He began to compose at the age of seven, and his first public appearance as a pianist was when he was twelve years old. At the age of 19, he undertook his first concert tour as a pianist. In 1843 he settled in Leipzig where he studied under Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt. In 1847 Reinecke was appointed Court Pianist for Christian VIII in Copenhagen. After posts in Paris, Cologne and Breslau he was appointed director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra concerts in Leipzig, and professor of composition and piano at the Conservatorium. He led the orchestra for more than three decades, until 1895. He conducted the premiere of Brahms's A German Requiem.

Reinecke’s style is firmly rooted in the German Romanticism, and he is a direct heir of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms.

This new recording presents his three Cello Sonatas, full blooded romantic works in their sweeping passion and tender lyricism.

Played by Croatian cellist Ana Turkalj. She took master classes with Wolfgang Böttcher, Seiji Ozawa, Bernard Greenhouse and Nicolas Altstaedt, and is a winner of several international competitions. Pianist Aleck Carratta graduated with honours at the Conservatories of Hamburg and Zürich, and attended master classes of Lilya Zilberstein, Roberto Plano, Filippo Gamba, Aleksandar Madžar, and Christian Zacharias.