59.00 PLN

CD:

Nr kat.: NI5666
Label  : Nimbus Records

"Hard on the heels of Maxim Vengerov's Teldec recording of Elgar's Violin Sonata comes a thought provoking Nimbus rival from Daniel Hope, more inward looking than Vengerov though no less heart-rending, and with more appropriate couplings. I would echo Hope's judgement that the real masterpiece on this CD is the Violin Sonata that William Walton composed for Yehudi Menuhin ... one of the great 20th-century British duo sonatas, and this is surely its finest modern recording to date." Rob Cowan, The Independent Gramophone Classical Music Guide2010 The coupling of the violin sonatas by Elgar and Walton is a most satisfying one, not unique on disc, and one which provides fascinating parallels. The Finzi Elegy is a very apt makeweight, the only surviving movement from a projected Violin Sonata written in a hectic period for the composer at the beginning of the Second World War. The Elgar elicits a performance of high contrasts both in dynamic range – Hope uses daringly extreme pianissimos – and in flexibility of tempo. So in the first movement the opening at an urgent speed gives way to a very broad reading of the second subject, hushed and musingly introspective. Yet such freedom of expression goes with deep concentration, so that the structure is still firmly held together. In the finale, Hope conveys an improvisational quality, again using the widest dynamic range, finely matched by Mulligan. With Hope's sweet, finely focused violin tone beautifully caught in the Nimbus recording – full and warm but less reverberant than some – and well balanced against the piano, this set makes an outstanding recommendation. “For many people, British music still means simply ELGAR, and this despite a huge variety of wonderful repertoire by superb composers, many of them completely unknown outside their country. For my third disc, I have begun with Elgar; but move on from there. Gerald Finzi seemed the ideal bridge between the static majesty of Elgarian England and the dazzling inventiveness of William Walton. Three totally different composers, in three totally different states of motion. Of the many traits they have in common, the effect of the war is perhaps the most interesting. In the case of Elgar and Walton, the late Yehudi Menuhin gave me a great insight into these giants, and it is my wish to pay tribute to this unique artist here too, as well as hoping, in some small way, to bring British music to a wider audience”. Daniel Hope