Search - Delius, Walton, Elgar :: Violin Sonatas

This is a wonderful record. Max Rostal was born 1905 in Teschen, Silesia (then part of Austria), and died in Switzerland in 1991. He lived in England from 1934 to 1957, and these performances, recorded in 1954, clearly show his love for the music of his adopted country. A pupil and assistant of Carl Flesch at the Berlin Academy, he became a distinguished master teacher in London (among his students were three members of the Amadeus Quartet) and later in central Europe. He gained renown as soloist, chamber musician and champion of contemporary music; many British composers wrote works for him. This disc captures his best playing. Immediately striking is his tone: ravishingly beautiful, pure, warm in the low register, radiant at the top, infinitely and instantly variable in color, nuance and intensity. His vibrato is rather wide but the ear quickly adjusts. His consummate virtuosity is entirely at the service of the music; every note is alive with feeling and expression; he slides sparingly for musical effect. In the Delius, he combines impressionist coloration and romantic ardor, soaring lyricism and calm serenity, in the Elgar vigor, charm, and passion; the second movement has almost too much rhythmic freedom. The Walton is the least familiar and perhaps the least interesting work, though the second movement is full of surprises. Throughout, Horsley, a splendid pianist, is an exemplary partner. Unfortunately, Rostal did not record much, but some re-issues by Symposium are eminently worth hearing: two discs of sonatas by Schubert, Schumann, Debussy and Stravinsky, also with Horsley (1076 and 1068), a mixed program with orchestra (1079), and a 2-CD set called "Max Rostal in Memoriam" (1142 & 1143), featuring concertos by Bernard Stevens (written for Rostal), Berg, Bartók, and Shostakovich. Recorded live during 1948-1962 BBC broadcasts before enthusiastic audiences, these performances are breath-taking: their moving eloquence, passionate intensity, their sung, almost spoken quality, their total emotional commitment and identification are truly overwhelming. Edith Eisler