Yue Yu, Anthony Hewitt, Jeffrey Armstrong - Bowen, Britten & I. Holst: Chamber Music (2022) [Hi-Res]

An accomplished horn and viola player, York Bowen is said to have preferred the tone of the viola to the violin. Inspired by the virtuosity and vibrato style of the distinguished violist, Lionel Tertis, Bowen wrote several works for him and became his accompanist. Bowen’s subtle shifts of key and heartfelt melodies are well in evidence here, including the powerful and poised Rhapsody, op.149, considered to be one of his most important works. Gustav Holst’s daughter Imogen is represented here by the open-air freshness of her Four Easy Pieces and the terse, laconic narrative of her Duo for Viola and Piano. Britten’s spiky Waltz is full of 1930s wit.

A rising star in the music world of her native China and beyond, violist Yue Yu was awarded the Sonata Prize at the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition in 2017, She later became the winner of 2019 Stockport International Young Musicians Competition (for all instruments), and at the 2021 Salzburg Paul Hindemith Viola Concorso. This album is her Naxos debut.