Delius Violin Sonatas (complete)

Naxos 8.572261

Sonata in B major (1892), Op. posth.
Sonata No. 1 (1905-15), Sonata No. 2 (1923), Sonata No. 3 (1930)

‘Beneath the shimmering surface of Delius’s little-known violin sonatas are the latent exuberance and nostalgic rapture which have made his orchestral music so popular. Across the decades separating the B major Violin Sonata of 1892 from the Third Violin Sonata of 1930, Delius developed a unique musical language which leavened the post-Romantic heritage of Wagner with French Impressionism and European and Afro-American folk idioms; an intoxicating mix that moved Sir Thomas Beecham to call him ‘the last great apostle in our time of beauty and romance in music’.’

‘It seems such a pity that Delius’s chamber music, including his four sonatas for violin and piano, are so often ignored in favour of his larger-scale orchestral works. They are in fact quintessential Delius: dreamy, rhapsodic, sensual and subtly impressionistic…Susanne Stanzeleit brings an engaging sweetness and sensitivity.’
(MusicWeb International, September 2009)

‘In Susanne Stanzeleit and Gusztáv Fenyő they have certainly found worthy interpreters: the subtlety of their rubato and the sheer responsive plasticity of Stanzeleit’s phrasing of the long melodic lines, which can so often seem to meander but here are a moment-to-moment index of feeling, are exemplary.’
(BBC Music Magazine, August 2009)

‘These excellent, passionate performances enhance Delius’s reputation as a composer of chamber music no end. In the three numbered violin sonatas, as in the early, posthumously published B major, the romantic ardour and aspiring gestures achieve an ideal equilibrium with Delius’s more wistful moods.’
(The Telegraph, 25th June 2009)

‘Violinist Susanne Stanzeleit and pianist Gusztáv Fenyő do an outstanding job performing Delius’s four Violin Sonatas. In the three published Sonatas, their combination of sheer physical beauty and intense expressivity match the works perfectly, and their enthusiasm makes a convincing case for the thoroughly conventional and early unpublished Sonata.’
(Allmusic.com, June 2009)

‘The present team includes a violinist who studied with Leonard Kogan and Nathan Milstein and a pianist descendant of Joseph Joachim. They are well up to the task of playing these works with insight and imagination…there is much to be said for the more reflective beauty of the opening of this recording…They are both sensitive players and have absorbed the Delius idiom…Lyndon Jenkins, Vice-President of the Delius Society, has prepared informative notes…’
(American Record Guide, November 2009)

‘Stanzeleit rises to the challenge of the established works, which are tauter than Delius’s other music and just as lyrical.’
(Financial Times, May 2009)

‘…she produces that nice limpid tone the music demands, and in Gusztáv Fenyő she has a strong pianist whose dominance is helped by the recorded balance.’
(David’s Review Corner, June 2009)

‘Susanne Stanzeleit’s tone shimmers, particularly in the slow movement of the third sonata.’
(Daily Express, July 2009)

‘Susanne Stanzeleit engages powerfully and beautifully with the music’s ongoing melodising…’
(Classic FM Magazine, August 2009)

‘…insightful and radiant playing from Stanzeleit. Fenyo fully enters into the spirit of the work and is sensitive and accomplished…There are several discs of Delius’s violin sonatas available, but this is a strong contender, and for a budget price disc you can’t go wrong with this recording.’
(MusicWeb International, April 2010)

Available direct from Music-Makers @ £5 (including postage & packing).