Daniel Hope is a young violinist whose previous Nimbus discs–especially a surprisingly exciting pairing of Shostakovich and Schnittke–have attracted well-deserved attention. His keyboard colleague, Simon Mulligan, also has proved no mere accompanist but a full-fledged partner who makes his piano parts as interesting as the violin’s. Here these two musicians turn to a pair of British violin sonatas and make the strongest possible case for their inclusion among the last century’s chamber masterpieces. The Elgar dates from 1918, and the devastations of the Great War make the Edwardian triumphalism said to be typical of many of Elgar’s works obselete. Here he probes private griefs and tensions. Hope’s Elgar is a bit slower in each movement than Vengerov’s in his superb recent Teldec recordng, but Hope shares with that master fiddler an interpretive approach that features seething intensity, wide dynamic range, and rhythmic flexibility–and his mastery of his instrument is evident in the hushed pianissimos and dazzling speeds.
The Finzi Elegy, written in 1940 at the start of another world war and intended to be part of a full sonata, provides a pastoral breather before the big Walton Sonata, a work whose grand stature is fully conveyed by the two players. Hope’s generous tone and poetic lyricism is matched by a prevailing hushed intensity while Mulligan’s adroit pianism is especially evident in the long Variations movement where your ear is constantly diverted to the interplay between the instruments and their pointed phrasing. Nimbus’ engineering is another attraction, full-bodied and present.
