Respighi: Violin Sonata in B minor

Tasmin Little has decided to showcase works by Ottorino Respighi and Richard Strauss in her latest recital disc for Chandos. She is joined by the well-respected Australian pianist Piers Lane.

Respighi is best known for his orchestral music, and Richard Strauss for both his orchestral music and operas, and therefore their chamber music has tended to take a back seat, however unfairly. On this disc we explore a few such neglected works, all of which display the full range of emotion, drama, harmonic exploration, and technical brilliance that characterised romanticism at its height.

Respighi wrote his Violin Sonata at the peak of his creative powers. Full-blooded and romantic, it explores both Italian lyricism and powerful dramatic gestures, and as such provides both instrumentalists with a virtuoso workout. The composer’s Sei pezzi (Six Pieces) for violin and piano inhabit the very different world of intimate salon music. Tasmin Little and Piers Lane have chosen three of the six pieces for this disc. No. 2, Melodia, is the only one originally intended for violin and piano, a brief, but lovely song without words. No. 4, Valse caressante, was written first for piano solo and, with its lolloping melodic lilt, is appropriately titled. Finally, No.5, Serenata, is based on material from Respighi’s first opera, Re Enzo, composed in 1904 – 05.

The Violin Sonata of Richard Strauss represents a crossroads in his creative journey. On the one hand, the language evokes the rigour and definition of Strauss as we know him. On the other, the sonata is an abstract work, not far removed from the dramatic sound-pictures and high romanticism so characteristic of the works of Liszt and Wagner.

Tasmin Little enjoys a flourishing career that has taken her to every continent and major orchestra around the world. She continues to champion seldom-performed repertoire, and her playing helped secure the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2011 Classic BRIT Awards for the Chandos recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, with alternative cadenza, and rarely heard Polonia. In great demand as a chamber musician, Piers Lane has given sold-out recitals at the Wigmore Hall, London and the opening recital at the new Melbourne Recital Centre.

Respighi’s orchestral music is loved for its lavish, operatic ‘fireworks’, its pomp and circumstance. This recording of his music for violin and piano demonstrates a more tender and intimate side to the composer, and also shows what a master he was of melody. Respighi had many influences from all over Europe and an enthusiasm for German music which perhaps explains the pleasing echoes of Brahms and Schumann among others. The sonatas, especially the later in B minor, are important works of nineteenth-century chamber music, and gems such as the Valse caressante and the Serenata are suffused with lyrical elegance which is perfectly carried off by the wonderful violinist Tanja Becker-Bender.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's leader Frank Almond steps forth with a robust recital recording of three 20th-century sonatas by composers primarily known for their mastery of the orchestra. These works by Strauss, Respighi and Janácek were all written within 30 years of each other, yet inhabit three distinct musical worlds.

Juilliard graduate Almond is one of the youngest prizewinners in the history of the Paganini Competition in Genoa, Italy. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, he held positions as leader of the Rotterdam and London Philharmonic Orchestras. He was also a prizewinner at the Tchaikovsky Competition, as was his collaborator William Wolfram, who also picked up medals in both the William Kapell and the Naumberg International Piano Competitions.

In 2005 Frederieke Saeijs won the First Grand Prix-'Academie des Beaux Arts' at the International Violin Competition Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud (Paris, France), as well as four special prizes

At the turn of the 19th and 20th century, the violin sonata experienced a considerable renaissance. A fundamentally conservative genre, it suddenly sparkled with vitality. The relationship to tradition is the crucial point of the resulting works and it makes up part of their fascination. The sonatas by Richard Strauss, Ottorino Respighi and Nino Rota on this enterprising album are examples of three different ways of coming to terms with the desire to change the violin sonata in the period 1887 to 1936.

As a world class violinist and violist, the charismatic Isabelle van Keulen has an established reputation on many famous concert stages. She is closely involved in the performance of contemporary music – works by living composers regularly feature in Van Keulen’s repertoire – but chamber music is also central to her music-making. She’s collaborated with such distinguished friends and colleagues as Leif Ove Andsnes, Håkan Hardenberger, Gidon Kremer, Heinrich Schiff and Thomas Adès, and has just been announced as the new violinist in the Leopold String Trio. But she also maintains a highly successful duo with fellow Dutch musician Ronald Brautigam, appearing at the Wigmore Hall in London and elsewhere. Their previous Challenge recording – an anniversary tribute to Elgar, Grieg and Sibelius – was a BBC Music Magazine ‘Choice’. Pianist Ronald Brautigam, one of Holland’s leading musicians, is remarkable not only for his virtuosity and musicality but also for the eclectic nature of his musical interests. He studied in Amsterdam, London and the United States of America with Rudolf Serkin. In 1984 he was awarded the ‘Nederlandse Muziekprijs’, the highest Dutch musical award.

On the morning on 7 July 2011 the agencies brought the sad news that one of the legends of 20th century music had passed away. Josef Suk ranks among the most accomplished violinists of the epoch. When he launched his artistic career, he was gifted with unquestionable talent but also felt the obligation to meet the enormous general expectations (he was, after all, the grandson of the composer Josef Suk and great grandson of the maestro Antonin Dvořak!).

Back in the mid-1950s he won international recognition – and began recording too. The presented recordings, most of them on CD for the very first time, date from 1956-1967 and introduce Josef Suk as a mature artist with a distinct interpretational approach and a beautiful, characteristic tone. Within a short time, he recorded, primarily with pianists (Holeček, Panenka, Hala), a remarkably extensive repertoire, ranging from pieces by his beloved Dvořak and Suk (to whom he would repeatedly return) to sonatas by Debussy and Janaček (for which he received a Grand Prix du Disque de l’Academie Charles Cros), as well as duos by Kodaly and Honegger with the cellist Andre Navarra.

These carefully remastered recordings serve as a historical document and, above all, bear witness to the art of a superlative young musician whose name would later on be spoken of in the same breath as other legends. Josef Suk’s early recordings – previously unreleased and bearing witness to the legendary 20th-century violinist’s mastery.