Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12 No. 1

First of three individual releases which will incorporate the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Beethoven (next releases likely to be in February and September 2011).

Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien met whilst members of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme, immediately establishing a rapport which has brought them invitations from the world's leading recital halls, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall and, especially, the Wigmore Hall. Writing about the duo in The Times, Geoff Brown stated that "these players have the potential to conquer the world”.

Alina and Cedric played several of Beethoven’s violin sonatas together during the time when they were both participants in BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme, but it wasn’t until the beginning of October 2009 that they tackled the complete cycle. Thanks to a residency at Aldeburgh, they were able to concentrate on rehearsing these central pillars of the violin-andpiano repertoire for an entire week – ‘playing, talking, thinking, morning until evening, feeling the connections, the moods, the links between each sonata, each key’, Tiberghien explains.

Arrau and Grumiaux recorded only six of the Beethoven violin sonatas, and here is the first integral release of this half dozen.

Mozart and Beethoven were the same age when they wrote the pieces assembled here. The tempestuous enthusiasm of their 27 years of age clearly shines in this music. Indeed, their youth and vitality sparkle, but so does also the incandescent youth of the pianoforte, which had finally reached its full potential. To this we may add a youthfulness of style and aesthetics, continuously inventing and reinventing themselves, searching new codes and opposing recent fashionable trends.

The first half of the XVIIIth century, which had promoted the violin to the rank of royal ambassador of its instrumental music, imposed for a long time everywhere in Europe and particularly with French and Italian composers-violinists, the corellian model of the sonata for violin solo and basso continuo. The second half of the century will crown the pianoforte, imposing its rule after its irrepressible dominance over the harpsichord in the 1780ies and offering a new expressive palette to chamber music as well as to the piano sonata.

A new facet of a violinist crosses the discovery of a new talent at the keyboard; a disc not to be missed!...

Hiro Kurosaki has performed as concertmaster and soloist with Les Arts Florissants, London Baroque and Concerto Köln. He has had a longstanding musical partnership with Linda Nicholson. Linda is one of the foremost keyboard players specialising in the performance of baroque, classical and early music on instruments of the period. Both musicians perform on period instruments.