To the Spring
Grieg Violin Sonatas: No 1 in F major Op 8, No 2 in G major Op 13, No 3 in C minor Op 45; Våren Op 33/2; Lyric Pieces Op 43/6, ‘To spring’

‘In a world which often seems fraught with over-complication and disharmony,’ write the artists, ‘Grieg’s music – filled with childlike wonder and clear mountain air – transports us to a simpler, kinder place.’ Neither the pre-concerto First (1865) nor Second Sonatas (1867), admired by Liszt, are as persuasively confident as the familiar Third. But structural niceties and side-steps are for the finding (the combination of slow movement and scherzo in the First, for example), and both can claim bright ‘gallery’ finales. Hardanger fiddles, too, are in the ether, lending a quietly Nordic nuance.

The bigger-boned C minor (1886-87, written for Adolph Brodsky and recorded in 1928 by Kreisler and Rachmaninov) commands any stage, a work of maturity and incisive direction. Immersed spiritually and musically in the composer’s world, Urioste and Poster have the scale, gesture and intimacy of this repertory in their system. Enduringly poetic is the expressive intensity and timing they find, the slower paragraphs unfolding with aching beauty. Similarly, their transcriptions of one of Grieg’s songs, Våren, and the sixth of his Op 45 Lyric Pieces – nostalgically tender jewels cloaked in dolcissimo tone and infinitely responsive accompaniments. Sincere performances, warmly engineered. Gorgeous.

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