Elgar's Violin Sonata belongs to a trilogy of late chamber music works, including the Piano Quintet and the String Quartet. Three full-fledged masterpieces that have not become as popular as the melancholic Cello Concerto from the same time. It was the end of the First World War, which was also the last convulsion of the Edwardian era. Dowton Abbey fans know what it's about. Elgar had then quietly
… retired to a Sussex cottage to be able to compose the said works. We sometimes hear that mixture of nostalgia and subcutaneous tension. Thus, the Romance from the Violin Sonata begins apparently loosely enchanting. Gradually, however, the tone becomes more penetrating, followed by an emotional outburst. The Sonata by Vaughan Williams is also a late work in the oeuvre of this composer. Jennifer Pike combines it with Vaughan Williams' top hit The Lark Ascending, which was created on the eve of the First World War. Here it sounds in the original version, with piano accompaniment. (HJ)more
