Helen Callus delivers Rebecca Clarke’s viola sonata with authority and impressive technical command. Throughout the opening movement (Impetuoso) she plays with greater abandon and expressive license than on other recordings I’ve heard, including Paul Coletti’s on Hyperion. The scherzo (Vivace) is very fast indeed, but Callus retains full technical control, not always so easy in the viola’s higher registers. Callus and her pianist partner Robert McDonald also find an entirely convincing solution to the most awkward section of the work, the transition from the finale’s Adagio opening into the brilliant Allegro that follows. McDonald is superb here, never swamping the viola’s lines despite some particularly dense chording. This new ASV account has consistently more drive and energy than Coletti’s amiably relaxed version with Leslie Howard (piano), though Hyperion’s sonics are fractionally warmer and more resonant.
Pamela Harrison’s 1946 viola sonata enters the CD catalog for the first time here. It’s a bold, vigorous work, often reminiscent of Gordon Jacob or Vaughan Williams, with an abundance of clean-etched folk-style melodies. It’s difficult to imagine any better case being made for this unfamiliar but attractive piece. The fillers, works by Clarke, Freda Swain, and Janetta Gould, are just as well played, and ASV’s recording sounds credibly balanced and clear.
