Tim Posner’s name may be new to many readers but this young British cellist’s credentials are impressive, his current hats including principal cellist of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and being one third of the Teyber Trio with violinist Tim Crawford and viola player Timothy Ridout. This first major solo recording now comes thanks to winning the Prix Thierry Scherz at Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad 2023 – the annual concerto recording award from a competition interesting for its non‑competition feel, whereby seven rising artists on a given instrument are invited to perform one of the festival’s daily afternoon recitals, after which one is offered the Claves opportunity. Recent cannily chosen winners including Ridout (viola year, 2019) and Anastasia Kobekina (the last cello year, 2018).

This gift to record whatever he likes with an orchestra has seen Posner reach for a piece he’s loved since childhood, Bloch’s richly scored Schelomo, in which the cello embodies the voice of the preacher in Ecclesiastes (Solomon, it is thought), meditating on the theme ‘all is vanity’. His complementary partner works are Bruch’s Hebrew prayer seeking God’s mercy for past and future, Kol Nidrei, and Dohnányi’s more cloudless early Konzertstück of 1904.

These are loving performances from Posner. He has tremendous tonal beauty across his cello’s range, making it sing with hugely attractive mellow, melancholic passion. Katharina Müllner and the Berner Symphoniker are equally warmly expressive. With the Bloch and Bruch, I find myself wishing at points for a slightly steelier core to the cello tone in their most intense moments; and from the orchestra, especially in Schelomo, a wider and more eastern-redolent range of colour and characterisation, and more electricity at its most magisterially imposing climax moments. Perhaps had the orchestral capturing been a tad closer or more defined in places …? The Konzertstück is more continuously satisfying from everyone: dancing grace and satisfying architectural handling, with some great dialogue between Posner and the orchestra, especially the woodwind; and when the cello and viola sections join with Posner for their combined unison fortissimo espressivo restatement of the theme (15'00"), it’s a proper explosion of joy.

This doesn’t feel like a new reference recording. For the Jewish-themed works at least, I’ll still be heading to Clein and the BBC Scottish SO (Hyperion, 9/12) or Piatigorsky and the Boston (Sony, 9/59). But as a calling card for Posner’s own lyrical talents, and indeed as a trailer for his forthcoming recordings (among them an autumn release for CPO of Cipriani Potter’s Concertante with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales), this is an auspicious debut.