Nationality-based evaluations may be worth little, but for whatever reason, this pairing of the
Vaughan Williams
Violin Sonata in A minor
with
Grieg
's
Violin Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 13
, by violinist
Charlie Siem
is unusually effective. The
sonata is certainly not unknown, but given its high quality, it is probably underplayed. It is a late work, dating from around the time of the
Sinfonia Antartica
in the 1950s. It is, by
' standards, unusually passionate, departing harmonically into realms far removed from its original A minor. The Scherzo is a remarkable essay in additive rhythms. The work was composed for violinist
Frederick Grinke
, who had championed
The Lark Ascending
, and the variation finale puts
Siem
through his paces, accompanied ably through the fireworks by pianist
Itamar Golan
. The
Violin Sonata No. 2
is an entirely different animal, even though
and
inhabit essentially similar late Romantic universes. It is a quiet, lyrical work with lots of pentatonicism, melodically rich in
's characteristic way.
effectively shifts gears here, not overplaying the work as sometimes happens. The Saffron Hall sound from Signum Classics does not get in the way of the players, all to the good in this remarkable violin recital. ~ James Manheim