It may seem that the only music for solo viola written in the middle of the 20th century was Hindemith’s, but he was not alone. Lilian Fuchs composed extensively in the 1950s, while Günther Raphael (1903 60) produced three solo sonatas between 1924 and 1946 as well as others with piano accompaniment. In the last few years his music has increasingly appeared on disc, not least four of his symphonies on CPO and violin sonatas on Toccata Classics.

The two sonatas recorded here – part of a collection of six sonatas, Op 46 – are attractive works written in Raphael’s blend of late Romanticism and Hindemithian neo-classicism. The Second (1940), with its central Minuet and Trio, is deftly constructed but lacks the expressive edginess that makes Hindemith’s sonatas so compelling; the Frisch und lebendig finale is witty and engaging. The Third (1946) is likewise smoothly lyrical, and is very nicely rendered here by Jürgen Weber.

He also plays Hindemith’s two sonatas with finesse, but in doing so, at least in Op 25 No 1, misses the point of Hindemith’s disavowal of tonal beauty. The infamous fourth movement with its ‘Raging tempo. Wild’ marking is here, alas, anything but. Look to Power for how this really should sound. Weber executes Op 11 No 5 very well and rivals Kashkashian and Cortese, so if that work and the Raphael are the prime considerations then this disc can safely be recommended. Otherwise, for the Hindemith works, Power or Imai remain the benchmark versions.