Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano Op. 12 No. 1, Op. 24 & Op. 96

Featuring

Rachel Podger
Christopher Glynn
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Composition History

Beethoven dedicated his last violin sonata, Sonata No. 10 in G major, Opus 96, to his noble pupil Archbishop Rudolph, who was a close friend, composition student, and important financial backer, and to whom many other major works were also dedicated.

Instruments

The recording features a 'Maurin' violin by Antonia Stradivari, crafted in Cremona in 1718, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Composition History

Beethoven's first mature series of three Violin Sonatas, Opus 12, was published in Vienna in 1799 and dedicated to Antonio Salieri, a celebrated Viennese court composer who gave Beethoven free composition lessons for ten years.

Critical Reception

Beethoven's Violin Sonatas Opus 12 were initially criticized by the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung in Leipzig as 'bizarre and laborious,' lacking 'naturalness' or 'singing quality,' to which Beethoven dryly responded, 'They understand nothing.'

Composer Biography

Before moving to Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer, was active as both an organist and viola player at the court of the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne in Bonn.

Composition History

The Sonata for violin and piano in F major, Opus 24, nicknamed 'Frühling' (spring), was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries, an art collector and patron who also financially supported Schubert.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven's Violin Sonatas Opus 12 were considered experimental for their time, notably giving a more prominent role to the violin compared to Mozart's sonatas, and featuring an unusual richness of musical material, such as three themes in the first movement of Sonata Opus 12 No. 1.