William Primrose

The great Scottish violist William Primrose revolutionised the playing of his instrument through both his virtuosity and the myriad colours he could evoke. Fully the equal of his colleagues Heifetz and Feuermann, he recorded a number of concertos and sonatas. However he also committed a substantial number of shorter pieces to disc, from Chopin and Dvořák to Kreisler and Arthur Benjamin. They reveal his lustrous, vibrant sound in some of the most beautiful pieces in the repertory. Two feature the great singer Marian Anderson. There are also two pieces from 1927 in which Primrose plays his first instrument, the violin. This is the first of two volumes.

Considered the first really modern violist, legendary Scottish musician William Primrose first came to prominence with the violin in the 1920s, turning to the viola on the recommendation of his greatest mentor, Eugène Ysaÿe. This programme includes four Paganini Caprices, which did more than any other of Primrose’s recordings to spread his fame among his peers, as well as two major works written especially for him: Arthur Benjamin’s Sonata, and Roy Harris’s Soliloquy and Dance. Primrose performs here with numerous noted accompanists, and alongside Jascha Heifetz in Halvorsen’s Passacaglia. This is the second of two volumes, the first of which is on 8111382.

The recorded legacy of William Primrose is well known, but newly re-mastered editions from our Historical catalogue always generate interest. The sonic results with this recital by ‘absolute stars’ (MusicWeb International on 8120607) producer David Lennick and restorer Graham Newton makes this the new standard bearer for these legendary recordings. This release joins volume one on 8111382 to make an eminently collectable pair.