For the solo cello repertoire, the 19th century can look like an extended empty space between the Bach suites on the 18th- century side and Kodály’s astonishingly original 1915 sonata on the other. Brazilian cellist Antonio Meneses thinks differently. He offers works by Jean-Louis Duport (1749-1819), Alfredo Piatti (1822-1901) and David Popper (1843-1913) as a reminder that the 19th century was not completely bare. And he suggests that Piatti’s 12 Caprices, Op 25, are the pinnacle of 19th- century solo cello achievement. For orientation, think Paganini rather than Bach or Kodály. Even Meneses’s passionate advocacy and beautiful, soft-grained tone, can’t mask the fact that the exploration of cello technique triumphs over musical concerns in these pieces. Try them one at a time for the best effect.