Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 10/29/2014, uploaded on 04/18/2015

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Richard Strauss wrote his Violin Sonata in 1887-88, during the time when he fell in love with Paulina de Ahna, who would later become his wife. The entire work bursts with energy and vigor. The tuneful, song-like lines throughout the sonata are a precursor to many of Strauss’ great songs and tone poems which were to come later in his career. Though composed while Strauss was in his early twenties, the Sonata is the work of an already very masterful composer.

Strauss wrote only three sonatas in his lifetime, the other two being the cello and piano sonatas, and the violin sonata is considered to be the most compositionally elaborate of the three. It is also considered to be the last of his “classical” pieces, following traditional classical forms. Both the violin and piano parts are extremely rich in texture and complexity, equally sharing the spotlight, the two soloists brilliantly intertwined in a melodious exchange.

The first movement opens in a short piano fanfare, to be followed by a more somber and reflective violin line. The two instruments then quickly unite and rise to new heights. The spell of Strauss’ love for his bride-to-be can be heard most notably in the beautiful second movement, Improvisation, which is a melodious, elegant love song. Following a quiet but dramatic introduction, the virtuosic Finale provides a heroic finish to the sonata.         Jessica Mathaes

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.