Nikolay Medtner - Violin Sonatas Nos.1 and 3

Nikolay MEDTNER (1880-1951)

Violin Sonatas Nos.1 and 3

Mateja  Marinkovic (Violin)

Linn Hendry (Piano)

Nikolai Medtner's music is well served on disc by now, and his violin sonatas have all been recorded elsewhere as well (several times, in fact). I have not heard any of the alternative performances, but if it is a matter of couplings it should perhaps be pointed out that the Naxos releases, for example, includes his shorter works for violin and piano as well. Nonetheless, the first and third sonatas receive committed and well-played performances here by Mateja Marinkovic and Linn Hendry. The approach captures the right combination of the epic and the introverted, and if there are a few points where the tone is a little rough or the balance a little off, that does not in any way seriously detract from these overall admirable versions. 

Though tautly argued, both works seem initially more rhapsodic in character than one would expect such large-scale sonatas to exhibit. No matter, both the melodic, haunting first sonata (which reminded me sometimes of a mixture of Brahms, Rachmaninov and - of all people - Fauré) and the ambitious third (approximately 45 minutes in total) are thoroughly convincing works, although the coherent argumentative structures take more than a single hearing to reveal themselves. What is imminently obvious, however, is Medtner's gift for aching, slightly nostalgic textures, themes and narratives (the melodies are usually not themselves straightforwardly hummable, but none the worse for that). Great music, then, in far more than adequate performances; recommended.