Doreen Carwithen & Thomas Pitfield: Violin Sonatas

Featuring

Fenella Humphreys
Nathan Williamson
Doreen Mary Carwithen
Charles Wilfrid Orr
Lennox Berkeley
Cyril Scott

Frederick Delius
Thomas Pitfield
Percy M. Young
John Ireland

Did you know?

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Composition History

Frederick Delius's Légende in E-flat exists in two versions: one with piano, published in 1916, and an orchestral version, dated 1895.

Notable Performances

The present artists' performance of Doreen Carwithen's Violin Sonata in 2014, as part of the 4th William Alwyn Festival, was likely its first public performance.

Compositional Technique

Cyril Scott's biographer, A. Eaglefield Hull, noted Scott's intimacy with violin tone, stating he brought many new devices and effects to the instrument beyond traditional techniques.

Composition History

Lennox Berkeley's Elegy and Toccata, Op. 33 Nos. 2 & 3, were commissioned by the Canadian-born violinist Frederick Grinke, who greatly admired Berkeley's violin playing.

Composer Biography

Doreen Carwithen (Mary Alwyn), a composer, abandoned composition to devote her life to William Alwyn, a composer and her romantic partner, as his muse, amanuensis, secretary, housekeeper, and promoter of his music.

Composer Biography

Wilfred Orr, a British composer, was known as one of the last century's most distinguished songwriters, with his output consisting almost entirely of songs, including 24 settings of Housman.

Composition History

Doreen Carwithen's Violin Sonata, composed around 1951, was rejected by the BBC Music Panel in 1952, effectively silencing the work until its first recording in 1997.