Very special recording .Wanda Landowska (harpsichord) and Yehudi menuhin (violin)
Recorded on 28th December 1944 in New York by RCA Victor .
The E major Sonata with keyboard has an involved recording history. In March 1933 HMV took the duo of Adolf Busch and Rudolf Serkin into the studio to set down their interpretation. It proved to be one of their few failures and despite having another attempt a year later, they gave up (but not before the set had been prematurely announced in the 1934 Victor catalogue, starting many collectors on wild goose chases). HMV turned next to Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin, who produced the rather chaste 1938 interpretation heard here. A further six years on, Menuhins US label tried to match him with Landowska in the E major Sonata. Those who were at the sessions reported that she was too assertive in the rehearsals and discussions. No doubt Menuhin, recording with a harpsichord for the first time, felt that she was on her home ground and deferred to her. The resulting performance has an equivocal feel to it but is of undoubted historic importance — and with two such characterful performers involved, it has many good moments.