Arnold Bax - Sonata for Viola and Piano gp. 251 (1922)(with full score)

Mov.I: Molto moderato - Allegro 00:06 : Allegro energico, ma non troppo presto 11:21 : Molto lento 18:19 Va. William Primrose Pf. Harriet Cohen (Youtube has the first performance, but sound is not clear, so I changed the recording, sorry.) Bax composed the bulk of his Sonata for Viola and Piano in G major in late 1921, completing the piece on January 9, 1922. The score was published in 1923 by Murdoch with a dedication to violist Lionel Tertis, who, with the composer at the piano, gave the first performance of the piece in London’s Aeolian Hall on November 17, 1922. On May 27, 1929, the same two players made a recording of the work that was never released in Bax’s lifetime, appearing on the Pearl label only in 1981. It is certainly the fastest performance ever recorded. For Tertis, Bax had previously written the Viola Concerto, re-designated Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra after its premiere. A fine player, Tertis exerted a positive influence on Bax