Born in Turin, Italy, into a family of Jewish heritage, Leone Sinigaglia is among the many unfortunate composers of the early 19th century whose works were suppressed and eventually all but forgotten. A student of
Dvorák, Sinigaglia adopted the Czech master's penchant for the study and inclusion of folk elements into his writing. Though he composed throughout his adult life, Sinigaglia's output dwindled in his later years. His writing changed little over the course of his career, and his compositions are largely rooted in the German Romantic tradition. Apart from some unusual key changes, Sinigaglia's works are not especially innovative, but have the potential to be enjoyable nonetheless. This Toccata Classics album features Sinigaglia's works for violin and piano, and cello and piano. Regrettably for listeners, these performances do little to incite interest in Sinigaglia's works. The overall sound quality on the disc is rather nasal and diffuse, taking away any chance of a solid core to the string players' sound. Both violinist
Solomia Soroka and cellist
Noreen Silver have difficulties with the technical execution of Sinigaglia's works. The most egregious fault from both is intonation that ranges from spotty to downright uncomfortable.
Soroka's sound is often forced, and tone is uneven from string to string. Listeners on the lookout for new works will certainly find these works interesting, but recordings that have more technical polish and are better in tune are needed to ensure broader appeal.