As well as the violin sonata, d’Erlanger wrote shorter works for violin including a
Tarantelle and the lyrical
Poëme for violin and piano (later orchestrated), which was published by Schott in 1918 and dedicated to Pedro Morales. The tuneful, heart-on-sleeve
Poëme opens with an atmospheric slow introduction before the soaring soloist sings the main theme against a hushed background. The soloist muses on this romantic confection for some time before a faster passage (Animando) leads to a new idea, introduced by the soloist and quickly taken up by the muted strings. A little ascending woodwind motif articulates the return of the main theme, and the twilight gradually deepens as the soloist sings plaintively, ending with a soft high trill. The
Poëme was performed in its orchestral version at Bournemouth on 11 February 1928, the solo part played by William Primrose, who soon after became celebrated as a viola player. D’Erlanger himself recorded the violin and piano version in 1927, with the violinist Adila Fachiri, sister of the celebrated Jelly d’Arányi.
from notes by Lewis Foreman © 2011
