Andres Kaljuste & Sophia Rahman - Eller: Works for Violin and Piano

Heino Eller (1887-1970) is the founding father of Estonian professional instrumental music, both as a masterful and original composer, and as a teacher of composition over half a century. His output of around 300 titles is almost exclusively dedicated to instrumental music. Though Eller wrote three symphonies, around a dozen symphonic poems, six string quartets and four piano sonatas, he is nevertheless essentially a master of the small form. Eller's music is characterised by a bright pantheistic lyricism and a Nordic restraint in expression, whilst retaining a philosophically charged, at times epic undercurrent. This magnificent album is the first ever devoted to Eller's music for violin, about half of which is represented here -- including the demanding second of his two sonatas for violin and piano, the remarkable, hyper-expressionist Fantasy for solo violin, and the most popular, emblematic work in Estonian repertoire for the instrument, Pines.

[Kaljuste] makes a fine case for these works, [and Rahman] accompanies with sympathy and assurance. [�] Eller had to negotiate a tricky path during Estonia's turbulent history and this recital faithfully reflects some of those tensions. � MusicWeb International