Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 09/16/2015, uploaded on 05/16/2016

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Like many composers of the 19^th century, Richard Strauss produced a fair amount of chamber music in his earlier years as a composer, touching upon the major genres of the string quartet, the piano trio and quartet, and the solo sonata. However, with the composition of his Sonata for Violin in E-flat major in 1887, Strauss curiously exited, for the most part, the world of chamber music. Throughout the remainder of his career, he produced little that was of considerable import, and even less that were truly original compositions. Nevertheless, Strauss’s sudden adieu to chamber music is a worthy piece in its own right, and though it may not be ranked with the greatest essays in the genre from composers such as Beethoven and Brahms, it is nonetheless frequently performed and recorded.

The composition of the Sonata for Violin more or less overlaps with that of the symphonic fantasy Aus Italien and the tone poem Don Juan, as well as the beginning of his love affair with the operatic soprano Pauline de Ahna, whom he would later marry, and all three influences can be heard in the luscious melodies and beautiful lyricism of the piece. Despite being a sonata written by a composer aligned with the so-called “New German School” of the great feud that engulfed classical music in the latter half of the 19^th century, it is a rather Classically designed piece, laid out in three movements, as opposed to the four-movement symphonic structure that had become commonplace, and which follow the usual ordering.

The first movement, in the usual sonata form, opens with a heroic idea announced by the piano, answered by the violin, and later followed by a beautifully lyrical second subject in the dominant key. Following this dramatic first movement, the middle Andante cantabile is further marked as an “improvisation.” Curiously, the movement displays little of what might be considered “improvisatory,” but is instead a hauntingly beautiful movement, led by the violin’s enchanting song, and carried along by a superb craftsmanship. The piano gives an eerie Andante introduction to open the Finale, before erupting into a heroic Allegro, and is soon after joined by eruptions of joy from the soloist in the form of rising sixteenth-note passages. The movement is pervaded by a sense of urgency, but it is not without its moments of lyrical beauty that recall the tone of the previous movements. With fervent energy and a final statement of the opening theme, the sonata comes to a heroic, symphonic ending.        Joseph DuBose

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Richard Strauss   Sonata for Violin in E-flat Major, Op. 18

Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late romantic and early modern eras.  As early as the age of six, Strauss was already composing his first pieces and by his 18^th birthday, he had composed 140 works. His symphonic poems of the 1890s and his operas of the following decade have remained an indispensable feature of the standard repertoire.

As a conductor, he made a large number of recordings, both of his own music as well as music by German and Austrian composers. Some of Strauss's first compositions were solo and chamber works. Following the completion of his cello sonata and piano sonata, Strauss began working on his violin sonata in 1887, and finished it in 1888. It was during this time that Strauss fell in love with Pauline de Ahna, the soprano whom he would later marry, and his amorous feelings can be heard throughout the piece.

The first movement opens with a brief piano solo, followed by lyrical violin interludes, through which the thematic material is presented. This movement follows typical sonata-allegro form, and although it begins in a melancholy tone, the movement ends jubilantly. The second movement is unique in that it is an Improvisation; that is, the tranquil violin passages give the impression of improvisational material. This movement maintains a beautiful singing tone throughout, and ends meditatively. The third and final movement begins with a slow, methodical piano introduction which then leads into an exuberant Allegro. After a rush of virtuosic passages from both performers, the sonata comes to an explosive end.       Jee Sun Lee

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.