Antheil believed his ultramodern compositions would be better understood and received in Europe than in America.
Compositional Technique
Antheil's Violin Sonata No. 2, dedicated to Ezra Pound, continues his experiments in "musical cubism" by assembling jazz rhythms and popular melodies into an Ivesian collage.
Composer's Artistic Vision
By the time he composed Violin Sonata No. 4, Antheil had embraced established forms, stating he did not believe old forms were dead or incapable of further development.
Instruments
Tianwa Yang performs on a Guarneri del Gesù violin from 1730, on loan from the Rin Collection in Singapore.
Composition History
American poet Ezra Pound, who was also a would-be composer, commissioned two of Antheil's violin sonatas and championed his music among the Parisian avant-garde.
Composer Biography
George Antheil, born in New Jersey, traveled to Europe in 1922 at age 21 with the goal of becoming a "noted and notorious" ultramodern pianist-composer.
Performer Biography
Violinist Tianwa Yang has twice won the prestigious Opus Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year Award (Violin), in 2022 and 2015.
