Schumann: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3

Featuring

Jennifer Koh
Reiko Uchida
Robert Schumann

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Historical Context

Schumann's mental instability, including struggles with depression and his eventual confinement to an asylum after a suicide attempt, has led some historians to analyze his works through the lens of mental aberration.

Instruments

Violinist Jennifer Koh performs on a 1727 'Ex Grumiaux Ex General DuPont' Stradivari violin, generously loaned to her by a private patron.

Compositional Technique

Schumann's violin sonatas frequently shift between major and minor modes, contributing to a feeling of steadily-evolving thematic exploration and unifying the works through recurring themes.

Composition History

Schumann's Third Violin Sonata originated from a collaborative 'F-A-E' sonata, a gift for violinist Joseph Joachim, to which Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Albert Dietrich each contributed movements.

Composition History

All three violin sonatas by Robert Schumann were composed during his unhappy tenure as general music director in Düsseldorf, a period that was nonetheless highly productive for his compositions.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Violinist Jennifer Koh finds Robert Schumann's music to be profoundly human, encompassing extremes of haunting, obsessive, tender, and vulnerable emotions.

Compositional Technique

A prominent characteristic of Schumann's violin sonatas is the piano's significant role, often introducing themes or elaborating on passages, making them true duo-sonatas.