In celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, Jill Richards and Waldo Alexander are delighted to present three of his Sonatas for Piano and Violin. This concert includes the joyous “Spring” sonata, the 1st Sonata in D Major, and the legendary “Kreutzer” sonata.
Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, where he studied with Haydn and Salieri, amongst others. His reputation as a virtuoso pianist was quickly established, and he also studied the violin. He wrote his first violin sonatas, a set of three (Op. 12) in 1797-98; six more were completed by early 1803, a fairly short time span. Beethoven was to write just one more sonata in 1812.
Both the violin and piano were undergoing tremendous changes at the time. The piano’s range and sonority increased in response to a need for more power and a more sustained sound. Violins also underwent changes in construction, with higher bridges, longer necks, fingerboards and strings. These changes meant that Beethoven made steadily increasing technical and expressive demands on both instruments, resulting in a deeply satisfying musical experience for both the modern performer and the listener.
Piano – Jill Richards
Violin – Waldo Alexander