Beethoven, Mendelssohn & Schumann: Music for Viola & Piano

Featuring

Paul Coletti
Leslie Howard
Ludwig van Beethoven
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Robert Schumann

Did you know?

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Composition History

Mendelssohn's Viola Sonata remained unpublished until 1966, though he reworked its Menuetto into the third movement of his Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op 11.

Historical Context

The growing amateur music market in the late 18th and early 19th centuries encouraged publishers to issue instrumental arrangements of popular works to increase profits.

Performer Biography

Paul Coletti, the violist on this recording, has been nominated for a Grammy and his 'English Music for Viola' recording was named Best of the Year by BBC Music Magazine.

Composition History

Beethoven's Notturno, Op 42, is an authorized arrangement by Franz Xaver Kleinheinz of his Serenade for string trio, Op 8, which Beethoven corrected and approved.

Album & Artwork

This album presents three relatively unknown works for viola and piano by three major early 19th-century composers, illustrating the genres of arrangement, sonata, and character pieces.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Schumann was particularly attracted to the Märchen, or fairy-tale genre, which embraced the irrational and fantastic, and he considered various titles for his Märchenbilder, Op 113.