Search - Lionel Tertis :: Viola

Lionel Tertis (1876-1975) was a major violist. Pearl was right to begin this disc with the Bach, extremely well recorded for 1925. This passionate, amazingly virtuosic performance alerts us immediately to the kind of musician Tertis was. The Brahms is equally passionate on the part of both players. Delius's Sonata is bland dishwater, hardly worth hearing even when this well played. But the Bax is a major discovery, an unpublished recording rescued from the only surviving set of 78 test pressings, and apparently the only recording of Bax as a performer. It's worth putting up with the heavier surface noise to hear this exciting music and the composer's strong piano playing. These performances transcend their sonic barriers, and a great artist lives again. --Leslie Gerber