Bowen Suite for Violin and Piano; Cello sonata; Violin Sonata
Another enterprising haul of Bowen from the Endymion Ensemble and Dutton
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: (Edwin) York Bowen
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Dutton Digital
Magazine Review Date: 2/2003
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 75
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: CDLX7120
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Sonata for Cello and Piano |
(Edwin) York Bowen, Composer
(Edwin) York Bowen, Composer Endymion Ensemble |
Suite for Violin and Piano |
(Edwin) York Bowen, Composer
(Edwin) York Bowen, Composer Endymion Ensemble |
Sonata for Violin and Piano |
(Edwin) York Bowen, Composer
(Edwin) York Bowen, Composer Endymion Ensemble |
Author: Andrew Achenbach
The rehabilitation of York Bowen (1884-1961) continues with this appealing triptych of chamber works, passionately performed by members of the Endymion Ensemble.
Premièred by Kreisler with the 25-year-old composer at the piano, the Suite in D minor dates from 1909, by which time Bowen was already one of the brightest talents on the pre-war British musical scene. Cast in four movements, it’s a capricious, sweet-toothed creation (too sweet for Thomas Dunhill, who described it as ‘frankly salon music…there is a tendency to “sugary” harmonisation which places the music on a lower level’). Though no forgotten masterpiece, it remains a worthwhile discovery, as does the Cello Sonata from 1921 that Bowen wrote for Beatrice Harrison. This is another work of engaging poise, strongly akin in its slumbering ardour and brooding tenor to Rachmaninov or, closer to home, Bax and Ireland.
Writing of comparable idiomatic flair also adorns the much later Violin Sonata in E minor (completed in 1945 and first heard in a January 1947 broadcast by Frederick Grinke and the composer). That Bowen was a consummate craftsman is never in doubt, and his mellifluous music exhibits a charm that should win it many new friends.
Lovely sound and expert balance throughout; the excellent notes come courtesy of Lewis Foreman. Well worth a listen – and the price is tempting, too!
Premièred by Kreisler with the 25-year-old composer at the piano, the Suite in D minor dates from 1909, by which time Bowen was already one of the brightest talents on the pre-war British musical scene. Cast in four movements, it’s a capricious, sweet-toothed creation (too sweet for Thomas Dunhill, who described it as ‘frankly salon music…there is a tendency to “sugary” harmonisation which places the music on a lower level’). Though no forgotten masterpiece, it remains a worthwhile discovery, as does the Cello Sonata from 1921 that Bowen wrote for Beatrice Harrison. This is another work of engaging poise, strongly akin in its slumbering ardour and brooding tenor to Rachmaninov or, closer to home, Bax and Ireland.
Writing of comparable idiomatic flair also adorns the much later Violin Sonata in E minor (completed in 1945 and first heard in a January 1947 broadcast by Frederick Grinke and the composer). That Bowen was a consummate craftsman is never in doubt, and his mellifluous music exhibits a charm that should win it many new friends.
Lovely sound and expert balance throughout; the excellent notes come courtesy of Lewis Foreman. Well worth a listen – and the price is tempting, too!
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