The Strad (UK)

"Untaming the Fury" Summit Records, DCD-346

VIRTUOSIC AND FLAMBOYANT

"The unusual and richly hued sonorities of violin and guitar are comprehensively explored in this flamboyant and virtuosic disc of chamber works, all commissioned by Duo46-violinist Beth Ilana Schneider and guitarist Matt Gould.  The pair flaunt their gift for the most spontaneous and fresh delivery from the outset, with Anthony Joseph Lanman’s Sonata 46, which starts out wild, edgy and raw only to turn contemplative, sonorous and seductive. 

The improvisatory, almost jazzy feel of Kristi McGarity’s How the Hell are You Feeling? shows the players in their element, particularly in the heartfelt romancing of the central movement.  Jalbert’s Sonatine contains some brilliant contrasts, from the sustained, sad sweetness of the second movement to the leaping and fiery Presto agitato, which builds to a galloping climax.  Disparate elements provide inspiration for Joshua Penman’s Was the Sky as Liquid, from flashes of Baroque figuration to the driving rhythms of drum ‘n’ bass.  Penman instructs the performers, ‘All told, the piece should groove,’ and groove it certainly does. 

Neil Flory’s Venn Music I explores the duos potential for different textural effects, the instruments throwing trill figurations and Bartokian pizzicatos back and forth, and drifting in and out of unison.  Stacy Garrop’s Untaming the Fury, the disc’s title track, with its heady emotions, provides a riotous finale. 

Sound quality throughout is superb- true and bright.  It is a testimony to the sheer imaginative drive and inspiration of Schneider and Gould that the works commissioned for the disc are so varied, inventive and enjoyable, and that they are performed with such commitment and flair." - Catherine Nelson