Fenella Humphreys - So Many Stars (2019)

BBC Music Magazine award-winning violinist Fenella Humphreys joins forces with pianist Nicola Eimer in this album featuring six Sonatinas for Violin and Piano. The Sonatina, sometimes considered a light-weight relative of the Sonata, is often overlooked, both in recital and on recordings. In exploring this genre, Humphreys and Eimer discover some neglected treasures from the twentieth-century Sonatina repertoire, including Jean Françaixs quirky take on the form, Lennox Berkeleys expressive and romantic rendering, and the delightfully charming and appealing Sonatina in E Major by Sibelius. The album also ventures into the twenty-first century, with two exciting new world premieres by Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Gordon Crosse, both written for Fenella Humphreys. They are examples of how the more concentrated framework of the Sonatina provides ample opportunity for its listener to be taken on a compelling journey.