Natalie Clein

Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata is a gem of the instrument’s repertoire so it’s no surprise that others, such as cellists, might want to poach it – and as well they might, given it was originally published “for viola or cello”. British cellist Natalie Clein digs into the opening cadenza-like gesture bringing out the folk influences that infuse the work – and what is dark and enigmatic on viola becomes deep, resonant and throaty on cello.

A violist, Clarke – who was born to an American mother and German father – became only the sixth woman to join Henry Wood’s Queen Hall Orchestra in London. She entered her Sonata in a competition organised by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge in 1919, the piece...