Ysaÿe composed the sketches for all six sonatas within 24 hours in July 1923.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ysaÿe aimed to create a work cycle that echoed Bach's solo violin music but with contemporary compositional techniques and violin playing.
Compositional Technique
The sonatas incorporate revolutionary arpeggio techniques, five and six-note chords, and new approaches to whole scales and quarter tones.
Instruments
The violinist, Stefan Tarara, plays a Stradivari violin from 1721 that was once owned by the Austrian violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler.
Composer Biography
Ysaÿe's father, Nicolas, was his first violin teacher and accompanied him on concert tours as a 'prodigy'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ysaÿe dedicated each sonata to a different virtuoso friend, creating a 'sonorous portrait' that reflected their individual playing styles and repertoire preferences.
Composition History
Eugène Ysaÿe's Six Sonatas for solo violin, Op. 27, were inspired by a performance of J.S. Bach's G minor solo sonata by violinist Joseph Szigeti.
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