Three romantic violin sonatas, by three contemporaneous German composers, one of whom was all but erased from musical history by the Nazis. All the sonatas on this enterprising album are their composer’s first essays in this form.

Friederich Gernsheim, born in Worms in 1839, studied with a pupil of Spohr and went on to be praised by Moscheles and Bruch, holding major positions in German musical and academic life. A composer of very fine chamber music, several concertos (piano, two for violin, and one for cello), his four symphonies stand at the centre of his output. The first predates the first symphony by his contemporary from Hamburg by several years.

Ian Buckle and Sophie Rosa continue their exploration of violin sonata repertoire, which always contains discoveries with ingenious and original programming.