...It should therefore not be regarded as a mere arrangement, but rather as an alternative version for cello, approved by the composer himself, as evidenced by a copy bearing his autograph. According to oral tradition, the sonata depicts the successive stages of married life: the first movement expresses the emotion of the lovers’ meeting, the second their passion, the third their conflicts and remorse, while the final movement celebrates reconciliation, balance, and mutual acceptance.

Eric Feldbusch’s Variations extra formelles, Op. 30, were composed in October 1961 as part of the composer’s search for a resolutely modern musical language. It is hardly surprising that the cello plays a prominent role, considering that Feldbusch (1922–2007) was one of Belgium’s leading cellists in the second half of the twentieth century. Through cadenzas and highly animated passages, the solo part explores a new aesthetic for the instrument as well as the limits of its technical possibilities, while never descending into ‘empty’ virtuosity. Every technical challenge serves the musical discourse and expressive intent.

Doux et tendres moments élégiaques, Op. 147, by Félix Snyers (1940–2025) was composed in December 1996 following the death of the composer’s eldest daughter. The name Myriam appears symbolically throughout the work through a succession of notes corresponding to the letters of her name. The composition consists of exactly thirty-three measures, reflecting the age at which she passed away. Deeply moving, this intimate work unfolds in an atmosphere of contemplation where grief, resignation, nostalgia, and at times restrained anger intertwine, conveying the profound emotional complexity of bereavement.

Sonata Rivelata, op.31 by Pieter Schuermans was composed in march 2015 as a gift for his son on the occasion of his coming of age. Imbued with a neo-Romantic aesthetic, the work expresses paternal love with sincerity and holds the listener’s attention from beginning to end. Cello and piano engage in a rich dialogue of warm harmonies and expansive melodic lines, exploring a broad emotional landscape ranging from the deeply intimate to the dramatically powerful, in a musical language that is both generous and profoundly expressive.

This project reflects Leka’s musical creativity and individual approach to phrasing, articulation, and ornamentation. Each movement is treated as a living musical discourse, shaped by breath, gesture, and expressive nuance, highlighting the dance origins of the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Minuet, Bourrée, and Gigue.

The recording of the 6 Suites for Cello Solo bridges tradition and modernity, balancing historical authenticity with contemporary interpretation. The result is a performance of depth, transparency, and warmth — a recording that honors the legacy of Bach while speaking directly to today’s listener.

The images illustrating the CD are made by Frédéric PAUWELS who travelled along the 700 kilometers long Western front line, starting in Nieuwpoort, Belgium and ending in the French Vosges. He photographed the scars that the war left in the surrounding landscapes and revisited the trenches, numerous monuments and the so called “Villages dead for France”, polluted ghost towns where no one could ever live after the war.

In its three interconnected movements, the sonata unfolds as a succession of shifting colours, elusive gestures, and poetic contrasts. Rather than seeking virtuosity for its own sake, Debussy creates an intimate dialogue between cello and piano, where each instrument contributes equally to a rich tapestry of sound. The music evokes a world that is at once noble and enigmatic, balancing elegance with spontaneity, wit with melancholy, and restraint with imagination.

This recording approaches the sonata not merely as a chamber work, but as an invitation into Debussy's singular sonic universe. It seeks to reveal the magical quality of his sound, where timbre becomes narrative and harmony suggests landscapes, symbols, and allegories rather than explicit images. Every phrase is treated as a play of light and shadow, allowing the music's fantastical atmosphere and poetic ambiguity to emerge naturally. In this way, the performance explores the profound richness of Debussy's imagination—a world in which sound itself becomes the vehicle for mystery, fantasy, and emotional resonance.

During the second half of the 18th century, the instrument gradually moves to the front and takes a prominent place thanks to the creativity of well-known cellists like Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), Jean-Baptiste Barrière (1707-1747) and Jean-Louis Duport (1749-1819). The cello is by no means able to match the violin, because of its headstart and top position thanks to the creativity of famous violinists like Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764), Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753) and later still, Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840).

This is why, famed cellists start to incorporate violin techniques into cello techniques. Carlo Alfredo Piatti (1822-1901) transcribes compositions from the violin to the cello repertoire. His adaptation of the Violin sonata in D by Pietro Locatelli (recordings nr. 1-3) illustrates this approach. The result is a piece with two completely different stylistic features : Piatti adds cadenzas and romantic passages to the original baroque composition of Locatelli. This forms a hybrid style that mixes two very differently characterized musical periods.

‘Le vieux quai’ (The old Dock), (recording nr. 4) by the Belgian composer Georges Lonque (1900-1967) is a contemplative piece for cello and orchestra. It draws its inspiration from the poem of the same name by the Belgian author Georges Rodenbach. The cello excels by its warm and intimate sounds of its typical nature, creating a highly refined post-romantic and even impressionistic atmosphere. The composition, never published nor recorded after its creation in 1927, got lost in oblivion. Thanks to this this recording it surfaced out, and today, takes its legitimate place in the ample cello repertoire.

Three compositions by Eric Feldbusch, Belgian cellist and composer (1922-2007), ‘Mosaïque’, ‘Trois mouvements’  and ‘Cadence et Allegro’, hold a prominent position in the present CD (recordings nr. 5 -12). They are extremely divergent in style and demonstrate the ease with which Feldbusch was able to navigate through the universe of composing. Other than an important cellist and composer, he also was a fulfilled chamber musician, a pedagogue who finally became director of the Royal Musical Conservatoria of Brussels and Mons. All through his life he remained a polyvalent musician. By composing he devoted himself to a never-ending search, travelling through tonality to finally access dodecaphony. Obviously, the cello lies in the heart of his compositions. Feldbusch expressed himself in the language of his times on the world where he lived in, on his dramatic events as well as on his experiences…