Pianist Bruno Canino’s solid, full-bodied traversal of the demanding piano parts Busoni fashioned for his two violin sonatas commands your full attention throughout this release. Violinist Roberto Noferini, though, is erratic. He has noticeable intonation problems in long sustained passages (particularly in the First sonata’s central movement and in the Second sonata’s haunting opening), as well as in quick upward moving runs and in sudden, lunging accented notes. By the time the Second sonata’s Alla Marcia kicks in, the violinist finds his center, with his acerbic timbre more in keeping with the music’s rhythmic verve and lyrical severity. My first choices remain Per Enoksson and Kathryn Stott (BIS) with Lydia Mordkovitch and Victoria Postnikova (Chandos) not far behind.
