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Daniel Hope and Simon Mulligan are outstanding young talents whose earlier
Nimbus recording of Shostakovitch's violin sonata earned well-deserved plaudits. Here, they turn to a pair of 20th-century English works with equal success. The Elgar, written in the wake of World War I's devastation, has a bold Allegro first movement and an expansive final movement flanking an expressive "Romance." It's top-drawer Elgar, and as played by these vibrant musicians, there's not a whiff of the Edwardian pomposity some associate with this composer. Hope's slashing attacks, wide dynamics, and intensity are matched by Mulligan's sensitive pianism. The Walton Sonata, another fascinating work, is played with wonderful spontaneity. It's a work of strong contrasts, and Hope sustains Walton's deeply felt slow sections with concentration, while giving the faster sections the zip and panache they need. Finzi's Elegy, largely pastoral in mood, makes for a nice interlude between the two big works.
--Dan Davis