Barber: Piano Sonata, Op. 26

‘Hamelin’s virtuosity has to be heard to be believed’ (Classic FM Magazine)

Pianist Diane Walsh is heard in four masterpieces from the first half of the twentieth century. This newly re-mastered release was originally recorded in 1990 for Music and Arts. From the moment that Vladimir Horowitz premiered Samuel Barber's "Sonata", Op. 26, in Havana, December 1949, Barber's brilliant and poetic score has been regarded as a piano classic. Composed and dedicated to pianist Dinu Lipatti, Frank Martin's "8 Preludes" offer a wide range of moods and textures. Prokofiev's "Sonata No. 2", the earliest work in this collection, was composed in 1912. Regarded then as ‘ultra-modern', this piece's driving rhythms and virtuosity were a perfect vehicle for the young composer/pianist, who premiered the sonata in 1914, in St. Petersburg. Bartók also premiered his own "Sonata", in Budapest, December, 1926. The work's motoric rhythms and violent outbursts are given a performance of great intensity by Diane Walsh. Diane Walsh's numerous awards over a 35-year international career include the top prizes at the Munich International Piano Competition and the Salzburg International Mozart Competition.

''…an exceptional talent… There's always pleasure to be had in admiring the player's splendidly developed natural technique… one to return to for a glimpse of the commanding artist Terence Judd might have become.'' Gramophone