ELGAR : The Violin Music (Bundit Ungrangsee) 3xCD (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The published works of Edward Elgar came virtually full circle thanks to the violin, an instrument he picked up at an early age thanks to his father. His first published work, a Romance, emerged when he was still studying the violin and his violin sonata, one of his greatest, final compositions, he was to complete following the death of his wife. In between, an abundance of music was produced. In addition to the sonata and the concerto, a host of etudes, character pieces, and salon music emerged that are all sadly neglected today. This Naxos three-disc set captures all of these works, in addition to the Op. 20 Serenade for Strings. At the heart of this collection is violinist Marat Bisengaliev, whose playing across the more than ten years of recording it took to complete this project is wonderfully even and lustrous. The tone he generates, particularly on the G- and D-strings is alarmingly powerful and projecting, a wonderful complement to the muscularity and darkness of the concerto but also a welcome counterpart to the piano in the miniatures and sonata. His interpretation in the concerto is very fluid, imparting a great deal of rubato and tempo fluctuation that are done with thoughtful purpose and direction. Pianist Benjamin Frith offers an accompaniment that is every bit is refined and rich as Bisengaliev's playing, and the duo play together with an enjoyable sense of symmetry and cohesiveness. Both for its completeness and for the fine playing found within, this set is one worthy of adding to most any collection. by Mike D. Brownell