Max Rostal: 20th Century Violin Sonatas (2 CDS)

Six Violin Sonatas from the 20th century performed by German violinist Max Rostal and recorded for Argo and Deutsche Grammophon. Having fled from the Nazis and moved to London in 1934, the German violinist Max Rostal became a fixture of the English capital's musical scene and an inspired interpreter of English music. With his regular recital partner Colin Horsley, he made these Argo-issued recordings of sonatas by Elgar, Delius and Walton at Argo's Hollymount studios in the autumn of 1954, and brought to them the shaded tone and artistry that later made him such a characterful performer of the Sancho Panza solo in Strauss's Don Quixote, especially in the EMI recording conducted by Rudolf Kempe. In his hands, Elgar becomes the great European composer that he always was. Rostal's earlier Argo recording, of the Second Violin Sonata by Ferruccio Busoni, was recognised at the time as a turning-point in the reception of this perennially under-rated and misunderstood composer. His partner for