Goossens: Complete Music for Violin and Piano

A member of one of the most important English musical dynasties of the 19th and 20th centuries, Eugene Goossens trained as a violinist and composer but gained fame as a conductor. His Sonata No. 1 integrates a personal style with the influences of Debussy and Ravel, the improvisatory Lyric Poem being from the same period. Dedicated to Jascha Heifetz, the dramatic extremes of the Sonata No. 2 range from brooding melancholy to affirmative luminosity, sharing a “lyrical intensity” with the Romance. The music of Eugene Goossens has meagre representation on CD and this attractive catch-all program of the complete works for violin and piano enters the catalogues unchallenged. New to Naxos, internationally renowned violinist Robert Gibbs has established a fine career as leader and guest leader of numerous orchestras including the London Festival Orchestra and Birmingham Royal Ballet Sinfonia. His recording of Sonatas by Arnold Bax on the ASV label was welcomed as having ‘intuitive, sympathetic playing’ (Gramophone).