Schubert composed his Arpeggione Sonata in November 1824, at age 27, while suffering from syphilis and mercury poisoning.
Instruments
The arpeggione, for which Schubert composed his sonata, was an instrument about the size of a small cello with a fretted fingerboard and six guitar-tuned strings.
Composition History
Shostakovich dedicated his Viola Sonata to Fyodor Druzhinin, the Russian violist in the Beethoven Quartet, and consulted him frequently during its composition.
Historical Context
Benjamin Britten's Lachrymae, a piece about unrequited love, may express his feelings about his homosexuality, which was illegal in Britain until he was 54 years old in 1967.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Benjamin Britten, the composer of Lachrymae, was fascinated by old English music and folk songs, often borrowing themes and compositional forms from earlier composers like Purcell and Dowland.
Composition History
Dmitri Shostakovich's Viola Sonata, Op. 147, was his very last composition, written in 1975 during the final two months of his life while he was ill with lung cancer.
Performer Biography
Lars Vogt, the pianist on this album, is also the Music Director of Royal Northern Sinfonia and founded a chamber music festival called 'Spannungen' in Heimbach, Germany.
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