Fauré's First Violin Sonata was completed in the summer of 1876, during a period when he was passionately involved with Marianne Viardot, whose engagement to him was later broken.
Critical Reception
Despite initial publication difficulties where Fauré had to give up his royalties, his First Violin Sonata became one of his most frequently performed works during his lifetime.
Notable Performances
The First Violin Sonata was premiered publicly on January 27, 1877, at the Société Nationale de Musique, performed by Marie Tayau and the composer himself.
Compositional Technique
Fauré's Second Violin Sonata, written four decades after the first, is characterized by an abstract, ascetic quality and a refined emotional depth, with his harmonic language showing confounding virtuosity.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Fauré stated that with Jean de La Ville de Mirmont's poems, he found the simplicity he had long aspired to in his music.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in January 2012 at the Salle Philharmonique de Liège, Belgium.
Composition History
The Morceau de lecture, a charming 'Quasi adagio' with various difficulties, was commissioned by the Conservatoire in 1903 for the violin class exam, where Fauré was a composition professor.
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