Grieg & Medtner: Sonatas No. 3 for Violin & Piano Svetlin Roussev & Frédéric d' Oria-Nicolas

• 1 I. Allegro molto ed appassionato 08:32
• 2 II. Allegretto espressivo alla romanza 06:19
• 3 III. Allegro animato 07:24
• 4 I. Introduzione: Andante meditamente - Allegro 15:07
• 5 II. Scherzo: Allegro molto vivace e laggiero 07:01
• 6 III. Andante con moto 08:56
• 7 IV. Finale: Allegro molto 11:49
• Total Runtime 01:05:08

Info for Grieg & Medtner: Sonatas No. 3 for Violin & Piano

This fascinating recording brings two contrasting composers together, linked by their 3rd violin and piano sonatas. Grieg’s third and final violin sonata was finished in January 1887, dedicated to the German painter Franz Lenbach. Medtner’s 3rd sonata was also his last one and this was dedicated to his brother Emil, completed in 1938 and premiered the following year at the Aeolian Hall, London by the violinist Arthur Catterall and Medtner himself at the piano.

„In their disc Roussev and D’Oria-Nicolas offer an engaging but not wholly successful, occasionally ‘stagey’ performance of Grieg’s C minor sonata, though they’re incapable of dullness. I wish they’d added a more compelling sonata to their Medtner; why not the first or second of his sonatas or something by Catoire?

As for the two sonatas under review the classic recording of No.3 is by Oistrakh and Goldenweiser, and the composer’s recording with Hansen of No.1 is required listening for the historically minded. Laurence Kayaleh and Paul Stewart offer the sonatas for Naxos, but I’ve not heard them. Of other more recent players the duos of Parikian and Milne, and Mordkovich and Tozer offer all the sonatas, and I strongly prefer the greater dash of the former. Alexander Labko and Evgeny Svetlanov’s sonata cycle is marooned in an all-Svetlanov Medtner box on SVET but they offer strong, resilient readings. Unfortunately, for all their precision and lyricism, I can’t say that Hanslip and Tchetuev offer anything like such authoritative and characterful performances.“ (Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International)

Svetlin Roussev, violin
Frédéric d’Oria-Nicolas, piano

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Booklet for Grieg & Medtner: Sonatas No. 3 for Violin & Piano