A Reflection of the Era
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951)
Violin Sonata No. 1 in B minor, Op. 21
César Franck (1822-1890)
Violin Sonata in A major, FWV 8
Mikhail Pochekin (violin)
Kenny Broberg (piano)
rec. live, February 2025, Rathausprunksaal, Landshut, Germany
Hänssler Classic HC24061 [72] 

This is a most attractive album in which the partnership of violinist Mikhail Pochekin and pianist Kenny Broberg plays three violin sonatas written some twenty-four years apart in the era of the transition from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. One is a repertoire staple by César Franck and arguably one of the greatest sonatas ever written; another is also a much-loved work by Edvard Grieg, while the least known of the three is an early sonata by Nikolai Medtner.

Over a twenty-year period, Norwegian composer Grieg produced three violin sonatas. Written in 1887 predominantly in Troldhaugen, Bergen, the most admired is his Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45. At its premiere in Leipzig, celebrated soloist Adolph Brodsky was accompanied by Grieg at the piano. His first two sonatas are noted for their energy and exuberance; this C minor score is wide-ranging and dramatic. As with the first two sonatas the importance of traditional Norwegian folk rhythms and melodies is preserved but the overall mood is melancholy. Standing out here is the sensitive playing of Pochekin and Broberg in the central movement, a highly expressive and song-like romance with a short, yet unsettling, middle section.

I cannot remember ever hearing a work by Moscow born Medtner played in recital or concert, yet in Russia, he was recognised as an influential and major composer by figures such as Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Shunning a career as a concert pianist, Medtner concentrated on composing, mainly solo piano works plus songs, some chamber music and three piano concertos with a uniquely characteristic way of writing. In the final thirty years of his life Medtner lived in the West and for some decades after his death in 1951 in London his music was largely forgotten. 

Rather than Medtner’s ambitious, large-scale, four movement Violin Sonata No. 3 in E minor, Op. 57 from 1938, Pochekin and Broberg have selected the Violin Sonata No. 1 in B minor, Op. 21 a work less than half the length, from 1910. The uplifting playing from the duo in the fascinating and inviting central movement marked Danza movement simply sparkles. Infused with folk dance melodies, the Finale titled Ditirambo – a curious and most original movement – has a distinctly festive quality. For those looking for an album containing all three of Medtner’s violin sonatas, I suggest the 2017 powerful recording by Nikita Boriso-Glebsky and Ekaterina Derzhavina (review) on Hänssler Profil.

An unerring warhorse of the chamber music repertoire, Franck’s Violin Sonata remains a challenging proposition for performers and sheer delight for audiences. Together with the cream of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas, Franck’s evergreen score can be ranked amongst the finest of violin sonatas ever written. He wrote it in 1886 as a wedding present for his younger friend and fellow compatriot Eugène Ysaÿe, the renowned violin virtuoso. It is cast in four movements and can best be described as an ‘epic’ work loaded with original features. Especially memorable is the playing of Pochekin and Broberg in the second movement Allegro, a Scherzo, containing short lyrical episodes, that sweeps forward producing significant drama. My first-choice recording is the striking 1985 account by Shlomo Mintz and Yefim Bronfman (review) on Deutsche Grammophon and reissued on Brilliant Classics.

Pochekin and Broberg have probably performed these three violin sonatas, especially the Franck, on numerous occasions, but a sense of freshness and discovery still flourishes. They display marked involvement and intense passion, venturing through an ambit of emotions, creating an exquisite sense of consolation and melodic beauty. 

Pochekin plays a violin by Neapolitan luthier Gennaro Gagliano (1762) using modern strings with a Eugène Sartory bow, and Broberg a Steinway concert grand. Recorded in Bavaria, live at the Rathausprunksaal, Landshut there is no extraneous noise to worry about. The sound quality is first class. having both clarity and balance. 

Michael Cookson 

Buying this recording via a link below generates revenue for MWI, which helps the site remain free