Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Walton - Chamber Works (2020) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

These four works represent all of Sir William Waltons chamber music involving both violin and piano, as well as being a microcosm of his compositional output between 1918 and 1950. They offer a fascinating glimpse of Waltons stylistic journey, from the youthful exuberance of the early Piano Quartet and the Toccata to the unconventional but masterful Violin Sonata, and the Two Pieces with their connection to his music for films. Matthew Jones and Annabel Thwaites recording of works by Benjamin Britten (Naxos 8.573136) was summed up as superb by BBC Music Magazine. Many of the works in this programme are not unfamiliar on recordings, but this is the first single-disc release to include all of the composers chamber works involving both violin and piano. The presence of the often overlooked Toccata is unusual, and shows a dimension of Waltons music that is rarely given mention. The album is the result of a Guildhall School research project entitled Walton: his voice through the violin, inspired by violinist Matthew Jones's lifelong love of Waltons music.

"Finally, from the first yearning bars of the Violin Sonata we are in identifiably Waltonian territory – specifically the languid Mediterranean Walton. Indeed, the echoes of the Violin Concerto are so striking that small wonder Christopher Palmer was tempted to orchestrate it to create in effect a second Concerto.

The form is unusual; an intense and ardent first movement, and a second comprising a rueful theme, seven mostly lyrical variations and a rather abrupt coda. I’m still not sure quite how, or if, it works, but the music is sufficiently seductive to make re-listening a positive pleasure.

Sarah-Jane Bradley has a fine track record in English music, so no surprise that her performance is spot-on; the same goes for her fellow performers, not least Annabel Thwaite in what might arguably be deemed the Toccata for Piano and Violin. Excellent sound, intelligent notes, and a bargain price – strongly recommended." (Kevin Mandry)

TRACKLIST

01. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Piano Quartet in D Minor: I. Allegramente
02. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Piano Quartet in D Minor: II. Allegro scherzando
03. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Piano Quartet in D Minor: III. Andante tranquillo
04. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Piano Quartet in D Minor: IV. Allegro molto
05. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Toccata in A Minor
06. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - 2 Pieces: No. 1, Canzonetta
07. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - 2 Pieces: No. 2, Scherzetto
08. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Allegro tranquillo
09. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Tema. Andante
10. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 1, A tempo poco più mosso
11. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 2, A tempo quasi improvvisando
12. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 3, Alla marcia molto vivace
13. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 4, Allegro molto
14. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 5, Allegretto con moto
15. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 6, Scherzando
16. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Var. 7, Andante tranquillo
17. Matthew Jones & Annabel Thwaite - Violin Sonata: Coda. Molto vivace - Presto



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