British Violin Sonatas, Vol. 1

HOWARD FERGUSON (1908-1999): Sonata No. 2, Op. 10, BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976): Suite, Op. 6, WILLIAM WALTON (1902-1983): Sonata, 2 Pieces.

Description: Intense, dark-hued and never entirely free from a nervous anxiety (a perfect description of many British minds in 1946), Ferguson's three-movement, 17-minute sonata deserves wider appreciation. So does Britten's; this is another one of his precocious, youthful works (1934-35) - a brief slow introduction, March, Moto perpetuo, Lullaby and Waltz - marked by precipitous virtuosity and a hard-edged, modern sensibility. Tasmin Little (violin), Piers Lane (piano).