Beethoven viewed himself as an upholder of tradition, taking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as his model for the violin sonatas, adopting the three-movement structure and equal treatment of instruments.
Composition History
Beethoven composed a total of ten sonatas for violin and piano over a period of 15 years in Vienna, with the last sonata appearing after a nearly ten-year break.
Performer Biography
Lena Neudauer, the violinist on this recording, gained international recognition at age 15 by winning the Leopold Mozart Competition and nearly all its special prizes.
Performer Biography
Paul Rivinius, the pianist on this recording, won the prestigious ARD Music Competition in 1998 with his Clemente Trio, which then performed in ten major concert halls worldwide as a 'Rising Star' ensemble.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in the Funkhaus Halberg, SR Sendesaal, Saarbrücken, Germany, across several sessions in January and July 2022.
Album & Artwork
The album cover features Caspar David Friedrich's 'Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer' (The Wanderer Above the Mists), painted in 1818.
Compositional Technique
For Beethoven, duo sonatas always implied a balanced partnership, and he expanded on Mozart's equal treatment of both instruments in his violin sonatas.
