The Third Violin Sonata began as a collaborative work, the F-A-E Sonata, written by Schumann, Albert Dietrich, and Johannes Brahms in honor of violinist Joseph Joachim.
Composition History
The F-A-E Sonata, from which Schumann's Third Violin Sonata originated, used a motive derived from Joseph Joachim's motto 'Frei aber einsam' (free but lonely).
Interpretation
The performers, Eriikka Maalismaa and Emil Holmström, use period instruments, including an Erard grand piano and a 250-year-old violin with unvarnished gut strings, to achieve a softer sound world appropriate for Schumann.
Performer Biography
Eriikka Maalismaa and Emil Holmström are co-directors of the Ristiveto Festival, which specializes in performing late 19th-century music on period instruments.
Composer Biography
Robert Schumann composed his three violin sonatas between 1851 and 1853, only a few years before his death at a psychiatric hospital.
Instruments
This recording uses an 1862 Erard grand piano, as Sébastien Erard was a significant piano maker whose inventions transformed the fortepiano into the modern grand piano.
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