This CD presents the first recordings ever made of two favourite Beethoven violin sonatas: the ‘Spring’ and the ‘Kreutzer’. Also featured are the first recordings of the Franck and third Grieg violin sonatas in abridged form, along with the world-premiere recordings of violin sonatas by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and John Ireland. All of these landmark performances were made by the violin-piano duo of Albert Sammons and William Murdoch.

Albert Sammons is unanimously regarded today as Britain’s greatest violinist, and renowned for his recordings of the Elgar Concerto (reissued on Biddulph 850542) and the Delius Concerto which was dedicated to him. Sammons was a prolific recording artist and drew the admiration of both Kreisler and Heifetz. The great Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe was so taken with Sammons that he presented a Tourte bow as a gift to his younger colleague. In addition to his solo activities, Sammons was also a founding member of the London String Quartet.

The Australian-born William Murdoch pursued legal and musical studies at the University of Melbourne, but came to London in 1906 at the age of 18 when he studied at the Royal College of Music, winning two gold medals. Following his London debut in 1910, he was still tempted by a career as a lawyer when the opportunity came to tour South Africa as a soloist with Clara Butt. Thereafter he embarked on a full-time career as a concert pianist, making recordings for the Columbia label and frequently performing as soloist at the Proms.

Sammons and Murdoch met while serving as bandsmen in the Grenadier Guards during the First World War. They began recording together in 1916 at Columbia’s Clerkenwell Road studios in London, and all of the sonata recordings they made together are featured on this CD.