Stained Glass

The Swedish Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene teams up with the Norwegian pianist Christian Ihle Hadland for a striking programme of two classic 20th-century violin sonatas, offered alongside less familiar fare. Dalene’s sweet, focused tone sparkles in Ravel’s jazz-infused Violin Sonata, the slinky central “Blues” dispatched with saucy charm. In Prokofiev’s generally sunny Second Sonata both musicians balance virtuosity (spectacular in the “Scherzo”) with heart-melting lyricism. Arvo Pärt’s Fratres is one of the composer’s most hypnotically beautiful works—Dalene’s approach, his bow at times barely grazing the strings, perfectly captures its glistening atmosphere. Less often encountered are the pieces by Lili Boulanger and Grażyna Bacewicz. French composer Boulanger’s Nocturne is intimate and exquisitely floated, while the Polish Bacewicz’s four folk-inflected miniatures are exquisitely shaped. The haunting Stained-glass Window will surely linger long in the memory.