The hard-to-blend association of violin and piano has often been considered by American composers a good opportunity to display their imagination and craft, whatever their style or language. Zina Schiff and Cameron Grant have put together a program that demonstrates the diversity of neo-classical and conservative tendencies in the first half of the century. This is Henry Cowell’s entertaining Violin Sonata’s (1945) first recording. Juxtaposing a Hymn, a Fugue, a Ballad, a Jig and a rhapsodic Finale, the work untiringly rolls out sturdy counterpoint and square tunes, in the composer’s typically robust manner. Copland’s Two Pieces reach a quasi-Ravelian grace, notably the neatly swinging Ukulele Serenade, while Hoe-Down (from Rodeo) rides cheerfully through the vast and happy land of Western folk music. Florence Price (1887-1953) was “America’s first Black female composer of serious music to achieve recognition”, according to the liner notes. Her charming album leaf The Deserted Garden overtly flirts with sentimentalism. Lee Hoiby’s Sonata, composed in 1950 and revised in 1979, uses conventional melodic patterns and pale diatonic harmony, without too much to dwell on. Finally, William Grant Still’s successful mix of bluesy inflections, smoky verve and delicately nostalgic melodies never misses the point. The performers play every piece with competence, efficiency and audible pleasure. A little sour note about the recording: its balance favors the violin, providing Zina Schiff’s tone with an exaggerated presence that becomes slightly tiring and unpleasant on continuous hearing.
