An English Pastoral
Chu-Yu Yang (violin)
Eric McElroy (piano)
rec. 2024, St Mark’s Church, Marylebone, London
SOMM Recordings SOMMCD0700 [75]

The English Pastoral tradition charted in this disc of violin music ranges from Gurney through Bliss and Finzi to today’s representative, Ian Venables. The music is cast in a lighter vein, flecked with watercolour charm, but one that admits brief intimations of mortality from time to time.

Aptly, Venables’ two pieces are programmed to begin and end the disc. The Violin Sonata of 2017 is a transcription of his Flute Sonata of 1989 and its first movement (of two) exudes a languid lyricism irradiated by introspective purity. The writing is consistently beautiful and contrasted by a second movement that promotes folkloric frolics, buoyant, lively and sporting genial pizzicati. The Three Pieces (1986) are succinct and well characterised. The first is one of yearning lyricism, whilst the second offers a Romance but one textured with hints of darker matter. The finale is a Dance, free-wheeling and with lovely lyric episodes full of nostalgia.

Finzi’s Elegy, Op.22 is somewhat reminiscent of his Introit but has a defined character of its own, in which brief moments of terse dissonance never manage to derail the essential warmth and humanity of the writing. If you’ve not yet come across Arthur Bliss’ Sonata of c.1914-16, you may well be surprised by the essential fresh-faced generosity of its expression and how well it fits into a sequence of ‘pastoral’ works. It’s the only surviving movement of a projected larger sonata but even in this form it manages to embed hints of a March theme that reflect the time of its composition, without destabilising its essential lyricism. The work was edited by Rupert Marshall-Luck and first performed by him in 2010 and recorded for EM Records, after which Tasmin Little recorded it for Chandos. 

Gurney’s pieces were composed during his Gloucester years and thus pre-date his move to London and studies with Stanford. They are couched in the prevailing mood of the time, Edwardian trinkets bearing descriptive titles redolent of the salon. Some, though, are not the miniatures one might have expected and stretch out to nearly eight minutes not always, to be honest, to their advantage. These youthful genre pieces include a wistful and overlong In September, an airy Romance, a lightly textured Legende full of delicacy, and a liltingly charming Humoreske. They’re played by Chu-Yu Yang and Eric McElroy with just the right amount of subtle discretion.

The church acoustic has a pleasing and enveloping warmth and the fine booklet notes are by the violinist himself, Chu-Yu Yang.

Venables’ Sonata, in this violin form, is heard in its première recording as are all the Gurney pieces. I can’t say that this is an essential purchase but I think it achieves its objective well and is splendidly performed by both musicians.

Jonathan Woolf 

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Contents
Ian Venables (b.1955)
Violin Sonata (2017) transcr from Flute Sonata (1989)
Three Pieces, Op.11 (1986)
Gerald Finzi (1901-1956)
Elegy, Op.22 (1940)
Ivor Gurney (1890-1937)
Chanson triste (1908)
In September (1908)
In August (1909)
Romance (1909)
Legende (1909)
A Folk Tale (1909)
Humoreske (1909)
Arthur Bliss (1891-1975)
Violin Sonata, F.192 (1914-16)