Beethoven - Violin Sonata 5 [Perlman/ Ashkenazy]Here's another Violin Sonata from this excellent box set, last month i spoke about the wonderful Ninth Sonata [16th November 2010], and so now onto the Fifth, and it's these two Violin Sonatas that are often found in a paired coupling on a single disc, they're certainly the cream of Beethoven's ten Sonatas.
I'm enjoying this box set, if there's one definitive box set of the complete Sonatas, then this could well qualify, the whole set was recorded between 1973-1975, Itzhak Perlman is now 65, born in Israel, he now lives in the USA, i don't hear him recording much these days, maybe his best days are behind him.
The movement that really got me going was the fourth and last, it has a sweet innocence about it, i very much notice how the violin and piano keep exchanging places, constantly playing each others main melody or accompaniment, almost mimicking each others playing, there's a minute long section about a third of the way through which is especially enlightening, the piano hammers out the chords, while the violin weaves around in morse code [1:58+], then they swap places, the violin takes over the tune, and the piano goes into morse code [2:11+], and they swap again [2:23+], and yet again [2:36+], it's a thrilling little section, the best of the movement, each swap adds another dimension to the music and interplay, almost right after there's some lovely sighing from Perlman's violin [3:02+], and some excellent pizzicato too [3:22+], it's a movement of question and answer, of call and response, a thrilling end to a lovely Violin Sonata.
Here's Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich playing the last two movements on YouTube, the fourth movement starts at 1:15.
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