Conrad Ansorge is one of those shadowy figures in music history whose name drifts through the biographies of far more famous musicians without ever quite emerging into the spotlight. He appears among the last pupils of Franz Liszt, surfaces as the teacher of Selim Palmgren and Wilhelm Furtwangler, and may even be remembered as the pianist once described as a "metaphysician of the piano." Yet anyone wishing to explore his own music will find remarkably little. At present, only two or three of his works are represented in the catalog, which means that this recording of the two string quartets and the cello sonata effectively doubles the available Ansorge discography.

Here we encounter an extraordinary musical rhetorician whose roots lie unmistakably in Beethoven's late quartets. Expansive, emotionally charged recitatives, intricate counterpoint, intimate lyricism, distinctive formal designs, and striking sonorities combine to create an irresistible musical pull-one that invites repeated listening and leaves a lasting impression.