Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 08/19/2009, uploaded on 12/11/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Sonata No. 2 in A minor                      Eugène  Ysaÿe

I. Obsession - Prelude: poco vivace  II.Malinconia - Poco lento  III. Danse des ombres - Sarabande (Lento)  IV. Les Furies - Allegro furioso

Eugène Ysaÿe (1858 -1931) was a violinist, composer and conductor. Born in Liège, Belgium, Ysaÿe began violin lessons at age 5 with his father. After his graduation from the conservatoire at Liège, Ysaÿe was the principal violin of the Benjamin Bilse beer-hall orchestra, which later developed into the Berlin Philharmonic.

When Ysaÿe was twenty-seven years old, he was recommended as a soloist for one of the Concerts Colonne in Paris; this was to be the start of his great success as a concert artist. The possessor of a large and flexible tone, influenced by a considerable variety of vibrato - from no vibrato at all to very intense - Ysaÿe said, "Don't always vibrate, but always be vibrating".

Among his most famous compositions are the six Sonatas for Solo Violin Op. 27. Sonata No. 2 in A minor from this set is dedicated to the French violinist Jacques Thibaud.  The first movement quotes from the Prelude of Bach's Partita in E Major, mingled with references to the opening of the Dies irae, a plainchant from the Requiem Mass, a theme which returns throughout the piece.    Judy Kang