The 2nd Violin Sonata of fourteen years later is an altogether different prospect. Playing for nearly three-quarters of an hour, with a virtuoso piano part of almost Concerto dimensions, here is the mature composer, fully in command of his art, creating music of heroic dimensions. Indeed, heroic is a word which ably describes Medtner’s largest works, such as the Sonata reminiscenza, op.38/1 (from the Forgotten Melodies: Volume 1) (1919) or the towering Sonata in E minor, The Night Wind, op.25/2 (1913). This work, in three movements, an Introduction, Theme and Variations and a rondo finale, is an emotionally exhausting experience, so complex are Medtner’s argument and thick textures. Those who claim that Medtner’s was a smaller talent than Rachmaninov’s need only to hear this work to be disabused of such a misguided thought. That Medtner didn’t possess Rachmaninov’s overt passionate outpourings is irrelevant—this is simply very fine music. I am sure that that is one reason why this fabulous music has been ignored. Kayaleh and Stewart’s understanding, and very obvious passionate advocacy shines through every bar of their performance. They never lose sight of the ultimate musical goal. They throwing off of the complexities of the music and bringing out the glowing, and very sunny, conclusion to the work. It’s not a moment too long and at the end I would quite happily have spent another half hour with it had the composer thought this necessary!

Between the two Sonatas is the lighter Two Canzonas with (two) Dances, a delightful concoction which makes no pretense at profundity. It is there simply to please.

This is a super disk well worth getting hold of. Medtner’s art is very special and our lack of hearings of his works has robbed us all of something extraordinarily wonderful. With very good recording and fine notes this is a release to return to again and again.

This program is as delightful as the earlier one. Medtner's compositional skills improved over time, but he was a real composer from the start, not just someone who published music to pay the bills—which, by the way, he had a hard time doing. Even in these earlier works there are no longueurs or passages where the composer is just filling in measures for transitions from one theme to the next. He doesn't juxtapose good themes with mediocre ones either. Another thing that happened with time is that Medtner's compositions got longer. Sonata 1 takes almost 21 minutes here, Sonata 2 takes twice as long, and Sonata 3 takes nearly 47 minutes. It's remarkable that the longer his compositions got, the better they became.

Sonata 1 is in three movements: Canzona, Danza, and Ditirambo. Composed in 1910-11, it is a work full of youthful exuberance and believably reflects the condition of inspired intoxication that the artist experiences in the act of creation. The sonata has the same lusty, romantic type of melody as on the earlier disc. Kayaleh and Stewart incorporate revisions that the composer made in his 1947 recording with Cecilia Hansen. It is followed by the two Canzonas with Dances from 1924, written in exile. These are lovely mood pieces, and I find myself swept away by them.

Sonata 2 was written around the same time as the Canzonas and Dances. Medtner expands on the homesick mood of the second canzona, and the sonata expresses how much he misses the beauty of springtime in his native Russia. It is modeled partly after Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, with a majestic slow introduction to the first movement and a theme and variations middle movement, only Medtner sandwiches it between two cadenzas that relate to the theme of II. The theme is a bit solemn, with a strong Russian character, and quite lovely. The variations are masterly. III is joyous. After listening to these two releases, I'm left wondering why it has taken so long for Medtner to achieve the recognition he deserves.

Kayaleh and Stewart are sympathetic interpreters, as they were in the first volume, and again I am surprised that I had not heard Kayaleh before. She is quite a virtuoso, and very musical. I would love to hear more from this duo. Very fine booklet notes again by Paul Stewart.

We have reviewed Medtner's piano music as recorded by Marc-André Hamelin and others, but these sonatas have proved revelatory. Violinists should certainly look out the first, which is suitable for inclusion in any recital, running at c. 20 mins, with movements enticingly titled Canzona: Canterellando con fluidezza; Danza: Allegro scherzando and Ditirambo: Festivamente. The other here is a massive 42 mins work in three main movements, the central one a set of variations.

This Canadian duo offers an ideal partnership with expressive, unshowy virtuosity and ideal recorded balance at McGill Univesity, Montreal. It leaves me eager to get the earlier release, Sonata No. 3 on Naxos 8.570298.