“there is much to be said for the spareness of the contrast achieved by the alto stringed instrument alongside the piano in the more elegiac viola sonata. In this form, the piece is lonelier, the viola nobler. Bashmet’s version of the original version (with Sviatislav Richter on Olympia, recorded in 1985, issued in 1997) makes a very powerful case for it.” (Positive Feedback Online Oct 2006) (5* award on RateYourMusic.com)
