The piano underwent significant changes in Vienna between 1790 and 1812, including an extended compass, the introduction of foot pedals, and a more massive construction, which allowed the violin to become an equal partner in duo sonatas.
Performer Biography
Linda Nicholson, the fortepiano player, won the first two international competitions held for the fortepiano and has a long-standing musical partnership with violinist Hiro Kurosaki.
Instruments
The violin used in this recording was made in Vienna in 1801 by Franz Geissenhof, considered the best maker of the Viennese classical period, and is a copy after Nicolò Amati.
Composition History
Beethoven's concentration on the violin sonata form was likely influenced by the emergence of a school of virtuoso French violinists, including Rodolphe Kreutzer, Pierre Baillot, and Pierre Rode, whom he met in Vienna.
Composer Biography
Beethoven composed all but one of his ten violin sonatas in a mere five years, between 1798 and 1803.
Composer Biography
During the period of composing these sonatas (1801-1802), Beethoven was experiencing professional success but also suffering privately from his increasing deafness, which he described in the 'Heiligenstadt Testament'.
Composition History
Beethoven dedicated these sonatas to Tsar Alexander I of Russia, possibly to gain wider recognition for his work and in hopes of a generous reward, though the Tsar did not acknowledge the dedication at the time.
