Paul Hindemith isn’t exactly the first composer you think of when the term “hit tune” is mentioned but the opening Fantasie of his F major Viola Sonata (Op 11 No 4) of 1919 comes pretty close to providing one, especially as “sung” by viola-player Lawrence Power. “Might almost be by Brahms…” says Malcolm MacDonald in a typically persuasive and informative booklet-note, which is surely true. The finale is a fairly assertive mood-breaker, pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips marking a dramatic contrast in tempo and colour (now this really does sound like “updated” Brahms). The grittier Sonata of 1939 also includes a Phantasie, placed third in the structure rather than first. This is the Hindemith of the Mathis der Maler Symphony, purposeful music, square-jawed, angular, confident and assertive, though with more fanciful elements too – especially in the finale, which at times is both playful and delicate.

MacDonald notes the possible influence of Bartók on the Sonata Op 25 No 4 (1922), which seems to me a justified claim. This is another strong piece, more percussive than the 1939 Sonata, with a desolate but heart-rending slow movement that is savagely interrupted by the finale’s aggressive arrival. The CD (Vol 1 of “The Complete Hindemith Viola Music” is what it’s called), which is superbly recorded, is completed with a sensitive performance of the serene Meditation from Nobilissima visione in Hindemith’s own arrangement for viola and piano. As to the performances, I shan’t indulge in pointless hyperbole but I will say that not since the days of William Primrose have I heard Hindemith’s viola music played with such warmth and conviction and, as I’ve already suggested, the pianist is first-rate. A 100 per cent success story.