The four twentieth-century Violin Sonatas on this double-album constitute a remarkably fine, wide-ranging and unique programme. The works were composed during a thirty-year period from 1915 to 1946, and each of the four composers representated - although very different - are actually connected by a number of musical threads. Thus we begin with Max Reger's magnificent final Violin Sonata, No 9, and follow with two Sonatas from the mid-1930s - by Paul Hindemith and Wilhelm Furtwangler. These are very different works in terms of scale - Hindemith's lasting barely eleven minutes and Furtwangler's almost an hour. To end we have the very fine Second Sonata by Hans Schaeuble of 1946 - a little-known work which does not deserve its unjust neglect. The performances by this most gifted young duo are excellent, as is the modern recording quality.

 Reviews