Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for solo violin Op. 27

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By tailoring his solo sonatas to fit the styles of six very different violinists Eugène Ysaÿe may have been acting as the ultimate critic, describing his subjects with musical illustrations rather... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Release Date: 20th Sep 2004
Catalogue No: 4726872
Label: ECM
Series: New Series
Length: 64 minutes

Gramophone Awards

2005

Finalist - Instrumental
Gramophone Magazine

January 2005

Editor's Choice

Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 1 in G minor for solo violin, Op. 27, No. 1

Work length16:21

$3.40

$4.60

Thomas Zehetmair (violin)
Recorded: 2002-09-17
Recording Venue: Propstei St. Gerold

Grave

Track length4:28

$0.85

$1.15

Fugato

Track length4:12

$0.85

$1.15

Allegretto poco scherzoso

Track length4:46

$0.85

$1.15

Finale con brio

Track length2:55

$0.85

$1.15

Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 2 in A minor for solo violin, Op. 27, No. 2

Work length12:37

$3.40

$4.60

Thomas Zehetmair (violin)
Recorded: 2002-09-17
Recording Venue: Propstei St. Gerold

Obsession

Track length2:27

$0.85

$1.15

Malinconia

Track length3:04

$0.85

$1.15

Danse des ombres

Track length4:12

$0.85

$1.15

Les furies

Track length2:54

$0.85

$1.15

Ysaÿe: Sonate Op. 27, No. 3 "Ballade"

Work length6:32

$0.85

$1.15

Thomas Zehetmair (violin)
Recorded: 2002-09-17
Recording Venue: Propstei St. Gerold

Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 4 in E minor for solo violin, Op. 27, No. 4

Work length12:10

$2.55

$3.45

Thomas Zehetmair (violin)
Recorded: 2002-09-17
Recording Venue: Propstei St. Gerold

Allemanda

Track length5:53

$0.85

$1.15

Sarabande

Track length3:26

$0.85

$1.15

Finale

Track length2:51

$0.85

$1.15

Ysaÿe: Sonata for Solo Violin in G, Op. 27, No. 5

Work length10:08

$1.70

$2.30

Thomas Zehetmair (violin)
Recorded: 2002-09-17
Recording Venue: Propstei St. Gerold

1. L'Aurore (Lento assai)

Track length4:37

$0.85

$1.15

2. Danse rustique (Allegro giocoso molto moderato -

Track length5:31

$0.85

$1.15

Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 6 in E major for solo violin, Op. 27, No. 6

Work length7:10

$0.85

$1.15

Thomas Zehetmair (violin)
Recorded: 2002-09-17
Recording Venue: Propstei St. Gerold

Reviews
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Reviews

2010

By tailoring his solo sonatas to fit the styles of six very different violinists Eugène Ysaÿe may have been acting as the ultimate critic, describing his subjects with musical illustrations rather than mere words. For example, there are the winking appoggiaturas in the finale of No 4, dedicated to Kreisler, which Thomas Zehetmair throws off with a mere flick of the wrist, or the rich chord structures of No 1, whose dedicatee, Joseph Szigeti, was a great Bach player. Bach is a particularly strong presence there, the key (G minor) and language so reminiscent of his first solo sonata. Again, the Jacques Thibaud piece, No 2 in A minor, has obsessive repetitions of the Prelude from Bach's E major Partita, played initially by Zehetmair with the lightest touch, though later repetitions gain in intensity. The sinister melding of Bach with the 'Dies irae' chant has to be one of the canniest masterstrokes of the period. There are stylistic parallels between No 2 and No 4, just as there were similarities between the players themselves.
The spicy Sixth Sonata recalls the Spanish fiddler Manuel Quiroga and takes on Latin influences, initially suggesting Ravel's Tzigane (composed at around the same time, though the similarity is probably coincidental) before shifting, a little later, to habañera mode.
As the ultimate thinking virtuoso, Zehetmair is an ideal interpreter of these pieces, delving between the notes, coaxing a wealth of colour, inflection and dynamic shading from each score, always with acute imagination. He is both explorer and demonstrator, his modes of attack as varied as his tone colouring. This is the best possible showcase for some marvellous if still undervalued music.

Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for solo violin Op. 27

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