Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 'Kreutzer' [Vengerov/Markovich]

This is a great disc, bringing together the best Violin Sonatas by Brahms and Beethoven [or at least my favourites!], i think it's a great coupling, even though it's an unusual one, i count ten versions of this work in my disc collection, i must have listened to this work 120 times, and it still always amazes me, what a work of pure genius Beethoven has made here, i am actually quite shocked to find this disc has never featured in my Blog before!.

Maxim Vengerov is Russian, he's now 41, he recorded this disc in 1991 at the unbelievable age of 17, the front booklet photo [by Klaus Thumser], shows Vengerov in a tight head shot, almost a silhouette, and Vengerov busy with his violin, the lettering to the left is really good.

The whole of this work was superb, but i really loved the first movement, it's in the key of A Major, even though it certainly sounds like it's a Minor key work, the movement is Presto, but the intro is Adagio Sostenuto [0:00-1:32], the violin sounding screechy and out of tune [on purpose by Beethoven], the violin and piano take it in turns to set the tone, the movement only really gets going on the two minute mark [2:06+], and it's a mix of fast virtuoso music, and more slower lyrical stuff, Vengerov & Markovich really let fly after a few minutes [3:18-4:23], the intensity of their playing is tremendous, and Beethoven never lets up, the music is relentless, the difficulty of the fast passages [5:02-5:39], are compensated by the beauty of the lyrical passages, Beethoven loves these pizzicato moments from the violin, each new fast moment gets more intense [6:15-7:20], the interplay is fantastic [8:41-8:59], especially from the Pianist Markovich, the preciseness at times is really quite thrilling [10:22-11:01], there's anger aplenty between both players [11:36-12:47], it really is a tour de force, and even with the reflective coda at the end, Beethoven can't resist an angry flourish to end the movement on.

Here's Kremer & Argerich playing this Sonata on YouTube.

Mozart - Violin Sonata 25 [Steinberg/Uchida]

Wow what a lovely little disc this is, i bought this disc a couple of years ago, didn't think a lot of it, this is its third playing, but now i think this is one of the best Mozart Violin Sonata discs i own, i've played K377 before, but it's like 'where has this Sonata been hidden all my life?', it's a tremendous work, how come i've brushed over it before?, the opening phrases are a revelation here in the hands of Steinberg / Uchida, 

I think Mark Steinberg is American, don't know much else beside this, the booklet notes state that Steinberg / Uchida have been playing these pieces for the last 12 years, so not a quick get together to throw off a recording, this was recorded in 2004, the front cover is a black & white shot [by Ben Ealovega] showing Uchida in the foreground in focus, and Steinberg in the background out of focus, a really nice shot, the lettering is very complementary, incidentally Mozart named these 'Sonatas for Piano and Violin', and not Violin Sonatas [which is what i call them], whereas Beethoven called his 'Sonatas for Violin and Piano', is there a clue in the picture who the boss really is?.

Well like i said above, it was the first movement that was a revelation, it's less than 4 minutes long, but it really packs a punch, it's in the key of F major, the opening bars are such a joy to behold, the violin plays frantic bowing, while the piano plays a strong skippy little tune [0:00-0:13], bustling with happy joy, and then the two swap over, the violin plays the tune, and the piano plays the complex accompaniment [0:13-0:23], one of Mozart's loveliest inventions / starts, after a minute they repeat the opening again [1:06-1:27], and again what a joy to behold, the third time the tune it's now changed into a different key, possibly the Minor [2:10+], but it still sounds great, the movement comes to a sudden nice end, and yet i feel it's all over too soon, Mozart could have done so much more with this little Scherzo of a piece, why waste such a great tune and musical ideas on a 'trifle?', and yet i guess its shortness makes it all the more endearing, i need to really listen carefully to Mozart's other Violin Sonatas, Uchida and Steinberg produce some great music here.

Here's Mutter playing this Sonata on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 'Kreutzer' [Kubota/Kuyumjian]

This is only the second time i've played this disc, and already it's developing into a real little treasure, Kubota is nice and passionate, as good as others i've heard, maybe she makes the violin 'scream' a bit in louder passages, but she really gets into the music, this is a Japanese issue, i found this on Ebay, discs like this are almost impossible to get in the West, there's a treasure trove of stuff just waiting to be discovered.

Takumi Kubota is Japanese, she recorded this disc in 1996, so already almost twenty years old, not something recent, the front booklet cover is a marvel [by Tai Tsutomu], it's a truly glorious upper body shot of Kubota playing her violin, the most gorgeous light from the left, and clear precise focus, i like the lettering too, this is how booklet photos should be done!.

The first two movements were magic, i think the middle movement variations just pip it, endless inventiveness, here's a synopsis with all the variations,
Theme [0:00-2:58] - The theme is a fairly lazy affair, first introduced by the piano, and the piano and violin keep taking it in turns presenting this simple theme, Kubota / Kuyumjian present it a little slow, but very nobly.
Variation 1 [2:59-5:18] The first variation is a little imp, darting here and there, mainly lopsided piano, with odd notes by the violin, i love Kuyumjian's piano work here, he gets the rhythm right, the genius of Beethoven shines through.
Variation 2 [5:18-7:29] Now it's time for the violin to shine, and the piano to drip drop notes here and there, it's a little disjointed on purpose, 
Variation 3 [7:30-10:31] Almost an intermezzo break, a bit of a lament. 
Variation 4 [10:32-13:30] The violin starts to use pizzicato here, and both Kubota and Kuyumjian are on their toes, i think the violin and piano try to imitate each other at certain points, it's a dazzling variation, and even within it has lots of variety.
Variation 5 [13:29-16:] What sounds like some sort of coda or epilogue at first, branches out into a meditative fifth variation [14:16+], trills on the violin, there's a sort of finality to the whole thing [14:45+], piano and violin are in contemplative mood.

Here's Joshua Bell and Yuja Wang playing this movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Mullova/ Anderszewski]

I must easily have a dozen complete Brahms Violin Sonatas in my collection, and on the whole each one is another 'revealing' of these endlessly fascinating creations, Mullova is probably a midway point in my favourites, and i must admit i haven't listened to this disc since 2012 [8th June 2012], but it was so good to give this a spin today.

Viktoria Mullova is Russian, she's now 55, the front cover of the booklet is nice, two separate shots [by Brigitte Lacombe] and fused together i guess, Anderszeski wearing dark / black, and Mullova wearing white / light, is there a musical theme here?.

I would say the Second Sonata to only just be my favourite of the three, it's the first one i heard, and of course loved the structure of the piece, especially the middle movement, consisting of slow and fast episodes, it's also the shortest of the three, i also find that Mullova / Anderszewski are pretty swift, they don't hang about, and looking at the timings for my favourite half a dozen interpretations, with the timing for the whole Sonata, and then the timing for the second movement, from fastest to slowest, this is what i get,

Mullova / Anderszwski - 18:27 / 5:45
Chung / Frankl - 19:43 / 6:07

Belkin / Dalberto - 20:16 / 6:22

Znaider / Bronfman - 19:57 / 6:35

Perlman / Ashkenazy - 20:23 / 6:42

Frank / Serkin - 19:37 / 6:45

what i 'feel' i can now 'see' in the stats, Mullova is almost two minutes faster than Perlman, and a minute faster in the second movement than Frank, i also find that there's a tendency for Anderszewski to be cast into the background / shade, while Mullova is in the foreground / spotlight [another manifestation of the black & white theory?], also Anderszewski can be warm / passionate, while Mullova can be icy / precise, that's not to say she doesn't have warmth / passion in her playing, the part i like the best is the middle fast / slow coupling [2:05-4:35], the last part of the Andante gets so beautifully passionate and intense [3:02-3:33], Mullova finds a powerful sweetness here, the following Vivace Di Piu becomes a pizzicato masterclass, juxtaposing between bowing and plucking [3:43+], after an Andante / Coda of sorts, there's a final pizzicato bravura flourish to end on [5:34-5:44].

Here's Mutter / Orkis playing the second movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Amoyal/Roge] 

Another disc of Brahms's Violin Sonatas, i must have a dozen versions now, but my love of these works can keep a dozen versions on rotation fairly easily, and this one has not been played much, a fairly recent acquisition [2005, yeah that's recent for me!], and so it's good to hear what Amoyal has to say, all of these three Sonatas were so very good, but the Second just pips the First, it used to be my favourite, but now the other two are so close that they're probably all equally loved.

Pierre Amoyal is French, he's now 63, and he made this recording in 1990, the front cover shows a black & white shot [by Mary Robert], the background of the shot has some nasty clutter, and the blue coloured theme is nice enough i guess, overall it's well composed.

On this listen it was the last two movements i enjoyed the most, and my favourite has always been the second movement, it rocks back and forth between slow and fast [Andante Tranquillo / Vivace / Andante / Vivace Di Piu / Andante / Vivace], as the movement lasts roughly 6 minutes, it would be very symmetrical for each section to last one minute, and in a way it is at least symmetrical, if you consider that the last Vivace is only a 10 second last hurrah, then all the other sections do indeed last roughly 1 minute, except the middle Andante which last 2, and i guess it's this central section that has more weight to it than the others, here's a rundown of the timings, it gives an idea of the building blocks of the movement, 

Andante Tranquillo = 0:00-1:13 [1:13]

Vivace = 1:13-2:12 [0:59]

Andante = 2:13-4:13 [2:00]

Vivace Di Piu = 4:14-5:09 [0:55]

Andante = 5:10-6:15 [1:05]

Vivace = 6:15-6:25 [0:10]

and with this in mind i would like to comment on these sections,

Andante Tranquillo - introducing us to the beautiful theme of the movement, i think Amoyal plays it a touch too fast, it's something that should be savoured, but it's gorgeous.

Vivace - of course in contrast a faster section, and the slow / fast nicely play against each other, the piano is more up front, it's certainly a nice rhythm.

Andante - but of course it gives way to the opening again, and right away you can see this rocking back and forth  is a tremendous device, this middle section is different however, in that it lasts twice as long as the first, there's a sort of 'coda' if you like [3:22+], where the violin goes into extra raptures, probably the most heartfelt moment of the movement.

Vivace Di Piu - and again in contrast there's an equally impressive virtuoso section, this time the violin is pizzicato, it makes a wonderful contrast, and even the violin rocks back and forth between pizzicato and bowing, tremendous. 

Andante - and back to the slower Andante, this time it has a sense of finality to it, and it 'sort' of ends on this slow note, but...

Vivace - a short Vivace finale, only lasting 10 seconds, but it puts a final cap on such a wonderful movement of Chamber Music.

Here's Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the second movement on YouTube.

Prokofiev - Violin Sonata 2 [Repin/ Berezovsky] 

Here's a nice surprise for my Blog, i played this disc because it's in my collection, i've struggled with these works, but the answer is to keep giving them a spin, and slowly they could warm to you, well today i more than warmed to it, suddenly almost out of nowhere i feel that these works are firm friends, the third movement Andante of Sonata 1 was very meaningful, but it was Sonata 2 that really fell into place, it now all makes sense, the First Sonata actually sounds like something Shostakovich would do, especially the slow movements, but the Second is all Prokofiev, with his wry melodies, now i'm on the lookout to maybe sample some other interpretations.

Vadim Repin is Russian, he is still only 41, and he recorded this disc in 1995, Repin / Berezovsky look so youthful on the front booklet, he now has greying hair, the front cover picture [by Thomas Muller] is a nice warm double portrait, highlighted by the dark background, and the orange colours, nicely laid out.

The first two movements were tremendous, and it was probably the second movement that i found so compelling, it's a short thing of not much more than 4 minutes, and full of invention and ideas, the violin playing a nice little impish melody with a pizzicato plink at the end of it, and the piano is no spectator / accompanist, and the violin glides in figurative whoops, and the piano responds with runs up and down the treble [0:38-0:46], that's a nice effect, the tune gets played twice before there's a more restrained middle section of sadness [1:40-2:55], sounding somewhat like a lazy Shostakovich march, and it's good to have the initial tune return [3:00+], and really it's over almost before it's started, there's some good twangy pizzicato near the end, nicely virtuosic, a great little movement of invention.

Here's Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich playing the second movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 1 [Mutter/Weissenberg] 

This disc has appeared in my Blog twice in 2010, but never with the First Violin Sonata, so this is a debut of sorts, Mutter has re-recorded these Sonatas for DG with Orkis, and i would really like to hear her newer interpretations [recorded nearly 30 years later], what we have here is her earlier accounts from 1982 when she was 19, and another strange partnership of Pianist and Violinist, but it works well, i don't see Weissenberg as a Chamber Musician, he's either a Soloist or a Concertoist [is that a proper word?], it was good to hear the youthful ardour of Mutter today.

Anne-Sophie Mutter is German, she's now 49 years old, but she recorded this disc when she was 19 in 1982, like yesterday, another picture [by Roberto Estrada] that is a true duo portrait, Weissenberg is more in focus, and leaves Mutter slightly out of focus, not a bad front booklet, but it could have been done better.

The very opening of this Sonata is wonderful, the movement is Vivace Ma Non Troppo, Vivace means 'lively', but the opening is restrained, sounds like we're going to get a slow movement at first [0:00-0:30], but soon speeds up into an Allegro of sorts, the start is two notes from Weissenberg, then Mutter comes in with the most exquisite pleading, it's the perfect start to a Violin Sonata, also the way the movement develops a rapturous yearning very quickly, some people say that Mutter has too much vibrato, i must admit i'm a fan of legato, and those Artists that lean slightly towards legato get the thumbs up in my book, Mutter has a few phrases / sections where there's some sharp corners of staccato that could have been smoothed over, also Weissenberg has a tendency to keep in the shadows and be an accompanist, rather than a partner, this movement is very much the longest movement of any of Brahms's Violin Sonatas, just over 10 minutes, musical ideas come round in a cycle, and it's just wonderful to hear Brahms's ideas stream past in almost a circular conveyor belt fashion, a superb Violin Sonata.

Here's Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the first movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 3 [Mullova/ Anderszewski] 

I now have at least 11 Brahms Violin Sonata discs, it's so good to have a whole raft of different Violinists, each with their own unique take on this music, each adds to the other, rather than compete for attention, this is a disc that i admit that is not in the top half of my favourites, Mullova is just too matter of fact, she seems devoid of colours at times, playing Brahms in black and white, but she has her own way with rubato, but her vibrato is kept to a minimum, and it can rob the music of a nice singing tone, but there's still great things aplenty in this music.

Viktoria Mullova is Russian, now 52, she recorded this disc in 1995, the front cover photograph [by Brigitte Lacombe] is of two separate photographs used together, the skin tones / shadows are so different, you couldn't get them on the same photograph, an interesting photographic idea, but i don't particularly like the lettering in the middle.

It was the Third Sonata where i fell that Mullova / Anderszewski really let their hair down, they seem to be more intense / impassioned, no more so than in the first movement, it's in D Minor, D for Death!, ha ha, Mozart and Faure's Requiems, and Schubert's Death And The Maiden Quartet are in this key, and certainly in the first movement there's sorrow and grief, but anger too, 

Here's Itzhak Perlman playing the first movement of the Third Sonata on YouTube, Daniel Barenboim is the Pianist.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 3 [Znaider/Bronfman] 

Here's Znaider again, i played this work / disc just over a year ago [5th March 2011], and it's good to play this disc again, the weather has improved so much here that i decided to venture out to the park, to write my Journal, drink an icy Coke, and listen to this disc from beginning to end, a lovely experience, it seems all four have a tendency to mesh into one beautiful experience, in listening to this disc, i find myself agreeing with Znaider in certain areas, and then disagreeing with him in others, he seems of the old school, Szeryng for instance, a certain degree of sweet calm and assurance rather than hotheaded fire, Bronfman is an accomplished partner.

Nikolaj Znaider is Danish, still only 36, he recorded this disc in 2005, the front cover photograph [actually the back of the booklet] is by Vanessa Lenz, i found the original front cover boring, but the back cover is a lovely little shot, i rubbed some white transfers on it, and hey presto! it's a great cover, full of an array of browns, the piano and violin nicely shown, the transfers make  great difference, i love this booklet now.

The highlight must be the beautiful second movement Adagio, only 4:29 long, but packed full of emotion, the sound is terrific, you hear Znaider breathe just before he starts, the mikes pick up every sound, he plays with passion, the piano is almost a mechanical beat, but that's juxtaposed with Znaider's playing, almost a heartbeat, the first minute is just simply gorgeous, just sit back and wallow in it, Bronfman plays some delicious treble notes [1:27-2:04], and then Znaider launches into the opening melody again [2:05+], this time with greater intensity and volume, also this time around Bronfman has a more human line to accompany, i love the way Znaider builds up the climax near the end [3:14+], this was heaven in the park today, a sky of blue without a cloud in sight, and sunshine in my soul too!.

Here's Leonidas Kavakos playing the second movement Adagio on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 [Zukerman/ Barenboim]

My Sunday 'walk in the park' disc, this is my favourite Violin Sonata by a mile, every time i hear it i marvel at the sheer genius of Beethoven, i played this last year in my Blog [10th August 2010], in my mind Beethoven was the supreme master of the Chamber music genre, his statements are universal at times, and this Violin Sonata is one of his greatest of all.

Pinchas Zukerman is an Israeli, he's now 63, emigrated to the United States, and now i believe he lives in Canada, one of the greatest living Violinists, it's good to have his discs and interpretations, he recorded these works from 1971-1973, the front cover booklet photo is great [by Reg Wilson], it comes from the Studio Plus series, a great little series from the EMI back catalogue, i have a number of these recordings, each one seems to have a different colour scheme, this is one of the best, using red and blue, a nice mug shot of Zukerman.

Well i just can't resist the intensity of the second movement variations, Beethoven seems to reserve this device for some of his most sublime creations [think of the Archduke Trio here], each variation builds on the one before, and like waves of bliss, if the first one doesn't knock you off your feet, then maybe the second or third will, the theme is majestic [0:00-2:35], played with real dignity by Zukerman, but it's the first variation that had me in raptures [2:35-4:45], it's where Barenboim gets to really shine, the fast fingerwork really has an exciting lilt to it, lots of trills all over the place, with Zukerman only filling in the gaps, superb, like wise the second variation is where the two swap places [4:45-6:50], and Zukerman gets to bow some virtuoso lines, variation three slows things down [6:51-9:29], somewhat sour, but a welcome respite to the faster variations, the fourth variation is gentle and sweet [9:29-12:39], pizzicato's from Zukerman, the coda is quite stunning [12:39+], but it turns into a finale [13:23+], with some of Beethoven's most magical final thoughts, a lovely phrase on the piano [13:52+], and the violin [14:27+], creates a wonderful 'end of the day / dying of the light' feeling, perfect.

Here's Gidon Kremer playing the second movement on YouTube.