Gabriel Fauré's Second Violin Sonata was composed between 1916 and 1917, during which time he was suffering from almost complete deafness.
Performer Biography
Thomas Albertus Irnberger, one of Austria's leading violinists, made his debut at the age of 15 as a soloist in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels.
Composition History
Fauré's Sicilienne in G minor, Op. 78, was originally intended for a ballet score for Molière's 'Le Bourgeois gentilhomme' but was later included in his incidental music for Maeterlinck's 'Pelléas et Mélisande'.
Compositional Technique
Maurice Ravel's Violin Sonata includes a 'Blues' movement as its middle section, reflecting the widespread jazz enthusiasm in Europe at the time.
Composer Biography
Guillaume Lekeu, a Belgian composer, spent most of his short life in France and died at the age of 24 from typhoid fever.
Compositional Technique
Maurice Ravel's 'Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré' translates the twelve letters of Gabriel Fauré's name into musical tones using a standard correspondence table.
Composition History
Francis Poulenc's Violin Sonata, composed during World War II, is dedicated posthumously to the poet Federico García Lorca, who was murdered by Franco's fascists during the Spanish Civil War.
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Sibelius: Music for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2
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From My Homeland: Czech Impressions
Jenner: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3 (Brahms and His Friends, Vol. 7)
