The idea for these six sonatas came to Ysaÿe after hearing Joseph Szigeti, a Hungarian violinist, perform Bach's G minor solo sonata.
Alina Ibragimova, the performer on this album, was born in Russia in 1985 and studied at the Moscow Gnesin School before moving to the UK.
Ysaÿe sketched out ideas for all six sonatas in just twenty-four hours during July 1923, and they were published the following year.
Eugène Ysaÿe, the composer, was born in Liège in 1858 and studied violin with Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski in Brussels.
Ysaÿe's six sonatas for solo violin are marked by a disregard for formalities, with each movement offering unexpected and striking features.
Alina Ibragimova performs on an Anselmo Bellosio violin from around 1775, kindly provided by Georg von Opel.
