Grieg: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Album review

Recorded in 2001, this disc of Edvard Grieg's three sonatas for violin and piano may be unassuming in appearance, but it's a refined presentation of tasteful chamber music that is worth hearing. Violinist Natalia Lomeiko and pianist Olga Sitkovetsky take a flexible approach to interpreting these pieces, which necessarily changes as they progress through the sequence. The Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8, is a youthful, buoyant work that summons the influences of Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, and requires an ability to switch suddenly from good-natured lyricism to outbursts of dramatic intensity. The Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13, is an exploratory work that shows advances in harmony and tonality that point to Grieg's later music. The Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45, is mature Grieg and commands attention through his confident handling of themes and mastery of form, while also displaying a dark side hitherto unheard. Lomeiko and Sitkovetsky ably convey the full range of expressions found in these pieces, and offer performances that are passionate and deeply felt, yet controlled and artful in their presentation. Dynamic's reproduction is clear and vibrant, giving the violin enough room to be heard distinctly while the piano's accompaniment is captured with a full sound in a responsive acoustical space.
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