As well as his three sonatas for violin and piano, Johannes Brahms created violin arrangements of his two late clarinet sonatas. Back at the beginning of his career, he collaborated with Robert Schumann and Albert Dietrich on the 'F. A. E.' Sonata, of which he wrote the Scherzo. Violinist Ulf Wallin and pianist Roland Pöntinen’s first volume of this complete collection of Brahms's violin sonatas contains the G major Sonata op. 78, the F minor Sonata op. 120 no. 1 (originally for clarinet), and the 'F. A. E.' Sonata Scherzo.
Featuring
Ulf Wallin
Roland Pöntinen
Johannes Brahms
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Performer Biography
Ulf Wallin, the violinist on this album, is a professor of violin at Berlin's Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler since 1996 and was awarded the Robert-Schumann-Preis der Stadt Zwickau in 2013.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms, at nearly 20, embarked on a concert tour with Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi in 1853, during which he befriended violinist and composer Joseph Joachim.
Composition History
Robert Schumann, a renowned composer and critic, championed Brahms's early works and helped him with publication after being impressed by the young genius in 1853.
Composition History
Brahms contributed the third movement to a collaborative sonata for Joseph Joachim, based on Joachim's motto 'Frei, aber einsam' (Free but alone), making it Brahms's earliest surviving violin sonata movement.
Performer Biography
Roland Pöntinen, the pianist, has collaborated with major orchestras and conductors worldwide since his 1981 debut and has an extensive discography with over 60 recordings on the BIS label.
Compositional Technique
Brahms's two clarinet sonatas, Op. 120, were published in 1895 with alternative versions for viola and violin, requiring significant revisions to the clarinet part due to the violin's more limited lower range.
Composition History
Brahms composed a violin sonata in A minor in 1853, but it remained unpublished and was later destroyed by the self-critical composer.
