After more than a half-century of undeserved neglect following its publication in 1919, Rebecca Clarke’s excellent Viola Sonata was reborn in 1976 and in recent years has been fairly well-treated on disc. Here is another fine performance that impressively captures this work’s bold statements (the opening), warm lyricism (the Adagio), and “impressionistic” moments (the reflective passages of the “Impetuoso”) with generous, resonant tone and affectingly nuanced expressive technique. This really is one of the great 20th-century sonatas and certainly one of the jewels of viola repertoire. (For more discussion of this work and reviews of other performances, please type Q4137 and Q2387 in Search Reviews.)
With two exceptions, the other works in this collection are relatively minor if uniformly appealing creations for viola and piano. The short but clever Chinese Puzzle is a catchy, delightful confection, and Untitled Piece (a world-premiere) is memorable for its reflective mood and Debussy-like, whole-tone-colored melody. But Dumka, which adds a violin to the viola/piano mix, is a substantial (10-minute), well-developed piece in the rich romantic style of Dvorák, and the Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale is an unusual–and very successful–marriage of viola and clarinet that exploits both the darker, reedier qualities and bright, singing upper registers of the two instruments.
All the players here make convincing advocates for Clarke’s too-rarely-heard music, and besides Philip Dukes’ solid and eminently, easily listenable viola performance, special mention must go to pianist Sophia Rahman for her unfailingly stylish accompaniments, especially in the sonata. Strongly recommended.
