- Purchase a product from the Music Store sold by Amazon.co.uk and receive £1 to use on an album download in our MP3 Store. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano |
| 2. Sonata-Fantasia (No.5) for Violin and Piano |
| 3. Sonata No.6 for Violin and Piano |
| 4. Prince Charlie |
Product Description
BBC Music Magazine
Previous Chandos releases resurrected JB McEwen, inter-war principal of the Royal Academy of Music, as a notable orchestral and choral composer. Yet in his lifetime he was chiefly known for his chamber music: so it's welcome that this new disc is the first of a series devoted to McEwen's chamber works, especially his sizeable output of string quartets.
Although these four violin works were published in McEwen's lifetime, they've languished in a deeply undeserved obscurity. Collectively they illustrate his instrumental skill, structural originality and highly personal blend of late-Romantic syntax with more progressive French influences (primarily Debussy) and elements from the folk music of his native Scotland. Individually they're nicely differentiated. The most striking piece is the Fifth Sonata (1921) for Albert Sammons, a two-movement design whose huge first movement is dominated by pealing bell-sounds while the second is a manic, almost Bartókian-barbaric, Highland dance. In considerable contrast, the Sixth (1929) has an almost Faure-like elegance and sense of Classical poise under threat. The 'Scottish Rhapsody' Prince Charlie is a delightful lighter piece - and incidentally belongs to the long Scots fiddle tradition, going back to the 18th century, of sonatas and fantasias for the concert hall built out of folksong material. Much of the writing is of virtuoso standard: Charlier and Tozer turn in splendidly spirited performances in excellent sound. Let's hope some enterprising violinist will have the gumption to take up these fine pieces in public.
Performance *****
Sound *****
© BBC Music Magazine 2001
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon U.K.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
