Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-4

Featuring

Frank Peter Zimmermann
Martin Helmchen
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Cultural Impact

Despite initial harsh criticism, Beethoven's Op. 12 violin sonatas became very popular, with 23 reprints by various publishers during his lifetime.

Instruments

Frank Peter Zimmermann plays a 1711 Antonio Stradivari violin called 'Lady Inchiquin', provided by the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf.

Composition History

Beethoven dedicated his Op. 12 violin sonatas to Antonio Salieri, his teacher for vocal works, making Salieri one of only two composers to receive such an honor from Beethoven.

Critical Reception

Beethoven's Op. 12 violin sonatas initially received harsh criticism, with one reviewer describing them as 'overladen with strange difficulties' and lacking 'nature, no song'.

Instruments

The piano used in this recording is a Chris Maene Straight Strung Concert Grand Piano, a modern instrument designed to offer an artistic alternative to existing concert grands by using straight, parallel stringing.

Composition History

The Op. 23 and Op. 24 violin sonatas were initially published together as 'Op. XXIII' and dedicated to Moritz Johann Christian Graf von Fries, a wealthy art patron who supported Beethoven.

Composer Biography

Beethoven reacted strongly to criticism of his early works, writing to his publisher that critics should be more careful with young composers and that he believed his critics 'do not know anything about music'.