Le Temps retrouvé

Chronique

The duo of violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster have often recorded eclectic fare, but here, in a more or less conventional program of late Romantic French fare, they excel with deeply affecting playing. The album made classical best-seller lists in early 2024, and one reason was certainly the presence of the little-known Violin Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 112, of Mel Bonis. This female composer, whose life is richly deserving of feature film treatment, was recognized in her own time (as the high opus number suggests) but was later forgotten, and even the recent rediscovery of music by women has only slowly revealed her talent. The work merits the enthusiasm Urioste and Poster express in their note. All of the pieces here rely on and extend the language of Franck and perhaps Fauré in one way or another, but Bonis marries rich melody to complex harmony in an especially effective way. All of the music here was composed in the 1910s and '20s. None of it, with the possible exception of Lili Boulanger's little Nocturne of 1911, which closes the program, much reflects the revolutionary development of Debussy, but all show that there was plenty left in the Romantic bag of tricks. Fauré is present as well with a typically gnarly example of his late style, to which Urioste's melodic playing is fully equal. The beautifully nostalgic Violin Sonata in C major of Reynaldo Hahn, better known for songs, is also not much played. Urioste and Poster are well established as a duo, and their sense of ensemble is strong and subtle, but the best thing about this album is that it may well rearrange the repertory a bit, with the Bonis work as a special highlight.

© James Manheim /TiVo