Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 11/27/2013, uploaded on 06/19/2014

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

A legendary violinist of his generation, Eugène Ysaÿe was born in Liège, Belgium. He was admired for his ability to interpret a wide variety of styles ranging from early classical, to late romantic, to the early modern period. Many prominent composers dedicated major works to him, including Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns, César Franck, and Ernest Chausson. The violin section of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition held in Brussels, Belgium, was created in his memory. Ysaÿe’s Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op.27 was composed in 1924 with each sonata dedicated to a violinist of Ysaÿe’s generation. Sonata No.3 was dedicated to Georges Enesco with the first performance given by Josef Gingold. This work stands as a single movement with two main sections. The first section explores intervalic relations ranging from close semi tones to over two octave leaps. The second section’s main theme is heroic and powerful – it moves through passages of triplets and many virtuosic elements such as tenths and quadruple stops, before arriving at the coda and fiery ending.      Nikki Chooi

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.