Ewald Straesser's catalogue of works contains over 200 compositions, thirteen numbers for violin and piano alone some of which are presented here on this premiere recording. Gudrun Hobold and Eri Uchino have unearthed some astonishing pieces from the completely forgotten collection of this Rhinelander composer, who was seen by his contemporaries as a successor to Brahms.
A violin sonata, a suite for violin alone and a series f character pieces leave only one question: Why only now?
During his lifetime, Straesser was highly regarded as a composer; in the autumn of 1917, an entire Straesser Festival was even held in Cologne, at the opening of which his violin sonata was played.
Much honour - the avantgarde, however, resented the adherence to the tonal, even though Straesser went his own way harmonically. He was even ahead of his model Brahms in his great melodic inventiveness, which is particularly evident in his works for violin and piano.
In general, it is the tender, sometimes even sentimental mood that is so enchanting about Straesser's music, along with the very broadly sweeping melodic arcs. It leads to fairytale-like episodes in the almost symphonic dimensions of the sonata.
Gudrun Hobold and Eri Uchino dive deeply into this special world of sound, of which one would like to experience much more.
