# Violin Sonata



## Quartetfore

Am I correct that there has never been a thread concerning the Violin Sonata? If so, Do you listen, and do you have a favorite? Two works among many that I like very much are the !st sonata by Prokofiev and Elgar`s only sonata. Best, Quartetfore.


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## jurianbai

yes, I listen to violin sonata, or is it Violin and Piano sonata included? here my listening list:

schubert sonata no.1,no.2,no.3 and in A (D408), recorded by Andrew Manze
beethoven sonata no.9 , perlman + argerich
cesar franck's sonata, perlman + argerich
mendelssohn's violin sonata in F
grieg's sonata no.1,no.2,no.3 , josef suk and susan kogan

and then there's bunch of sonata filler for my Violin concerto CD, Shostakovich's, Bartok's etc.


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## Guest

Brahms' three Violin Sonatas are my favorites, hands down. I just love that autumnal sound that so characterizes much of Brahms' chamber music. The Prokofiev Sonatas are good too, and Amy Beach's Violin Sonata is an absolute gem.


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## Air

There have been a lot of threads concerning this medium. Anyhow, I'll list some of my favorites:

Franck
Lekeu
Poulenc
Debussy
Faure (both)
Saint-Saens (No. 1)

And to prove that in _no way_ am I partial to the French/Belgians , I add for good measure:

Mozart (K. 304, _many_ others)
Schubert (No. 5, Fantasy)
Brahms (all)
Corelli (Op. 5)
Enescu (all)
Medtner (No. 3)
Prokofiev (No. 1)

But far above these would be the solo sonatas of Bach. Ysaÿe's 6 for solo violin would be in there too, somewhere.


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## Sid James

I've just been beginning to get into Violin Sonatas in the past year. So far, I have collected discs of violin sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Hindemith, Janacek & Enescu. I have enjoyed them all. The Naxos Janacek discs also includes both of Lutoslawski's works for violin & piano, as well as Szymanowski's _Mythes_.

A couple of weeks back, I heard a friend's DG cd with works by Ravel & Debussy played by members of the Ensemble Wien-Berlin. I especially enjoyed Ravel's _Sonata for violin & cello_, which had some pretty dissonant sounds & was quite intense and "modernistic," not at all like the stereotype of Ravel that I had formed in my mind before. It was really a great work, imo.

I really want to get Bartok's two violin sonatas. Saw them in the store a few months back, but when I went back to buy it, it was gone! I'll have to order that Naxos cd at some stage, they were coupled with his _Contrasts_. I also want to get the three Brahms sonatas on the one disc...


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## mueske

It's not my favourite genre; but I can listen to it. I am absolutely in love with Elgar's sonata though.


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## Aramis

I dislike Faure sonatas. I fail to see any greater sense in them. 

My favourite is probably violin sonata op. 9 in D minor by Szymanowski.


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## Quartetfore

A work that is very worthwhile is the op #18 by Richard Strauss. As far as I know it is his last string duo---great first theme. Best, Quartetfore.


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## Guest

Among my favorites are:

Beethoven's Violin Sonatas, esp. Spring and Kreutzer - I have a DG recording by Kempff and Menuhin which is my favorite, but I also have Perlman/Ashkenazy, Perlman/Argerich, and Schroder/Immerseel for just the Spring and Kreutzer sonatas.

All 3 of Brahms' violin sonatas are wonderful - again, Perlman and Ashkenazy.

I have just started listening to the Franck Sonata, by Perlman and Argerich, so I don't know yet how it will fall.

I have also just started exploring Mozart's contributions to this genre - recordings by Hahn/Zhu and Perlman/Barenboim.

Ditto for Handel (Manze/Egarr), Corelli (Manze/Egarr), and Pandolfi (Manze/Egarr).

Finally, I will add Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin - although not my favorites, I do listen to them from time to time. I have recordings by Perlman and Szeryng, and I tend to go to the Szeryng recording more frequently.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Just like to add I think the Mozart (complete) violin sonata recordings played by Rachel Podger (period violin) and Garry Cooper (fortepiano) work particular well to my ears.


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## JAKE WYB

*Grieg*s three sonatas are to me the most appealing though I think *Janacek* is my favourite in the long term.

Prokofievs 1st I also find to be singularly magical in a tense way - but not so focused and refined

I find pre modern violin sonatas to be most often a little boring. No doubt thats through unfamiliarity with the medium - though ive tried brahms many times with little appreciation compared with his other chamber music.

I believe its Ravels violin sonata that i like also - the sound world of violin and piano I think attunes with my tastes in the 20th century repertiore more than previous periods.


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## Chris

Britten's Opus 6 for me


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## Head_case

This one is the only one you'll ever need - it's larger than life


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## Huilunsoittaja

wow....

And anyways, wasn't Brahms the one who decided to name his Violin sonatas "Sonata for _Piano _and Violin," naming piano first? I think he did it because he didn't want the piano to be considered only an accompanist, but actually have an important role to play.


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## Camilla

mueske said:


> It's not my favourite genre; but I can listen to it. I am absolutely in love with Elgar's sonata though.


That is such a beautiful piece.


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## Guest

Huilunsoittaja said:


> And anyways, wasn't Brahms the one who decided to name his Violin sonatas "Sonata for Piano and Violin," naming piano first? I think he did it because he didn't want the piano to be considered only an accompanist, but actually have an important role to play.


Brahms wanted the two instruments to be equal partners. He wasn't interested in making virtuosic showpieces (and the same goes for the concertos as well).


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## Robert Eckert

I love Copland's Sonata for Violin and Piano. This week I traveled from Jackson, Wyoming to San Francisco to hear Hilary Hahn play the piece. It was tremendous!


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## Pugg

Robert Eckert said:


> I love Copland's Sonata for Violin and Piano. This week I traveled from Jackson, Wyoming to San Francisco to hear Hilary Hahn play the piece. It was tremendous!


Always nice to see a old thread being brought back to life


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## chesapeake bay

I watched Trifinov and Kavakos play a wonderful selection of violin sonata's the other day you can watch here:






They play Schumann sonata no 1, Busoni sonata no 2, Stravinsky suite Italliene and Strauss sonata in E flat op 18


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## majlis

Love violin sonatas, but can't name a favorite, because I believe I've recordings of about 100 different ones.


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## Vaneyes

Head_case had a good suggestion six years ago. I'll add *Schnittke* 1 & 2, *Bartok* 2, *Janacek*, *Penderecki *1 & 2, *Wuorinen*, as well as...


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## Animal the Drummer

Jeff N said:


> Brahms wanted the two instruments to be equal partners. He wasn't interested in making virtuosic showpieces (and the same goes for the concertos as well).


Indeed, though ironically the piano parts (of the sonatas as well as the concertos) are often horribly difficult.

I have a particular fondness for Dvorak's Sonatina in G for this combo.


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## clockworkmurderer

This thread is like the mother of all necros.

However, I can hardly believe that this whole thread went by without a single mention of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, easily my favorite composer for violin. His mystery sonatas are sublime. I'm here to represent the father of the instrument. Check out this one for a bite sized piece of glory:


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## PeterF

There are many violin sonatas that I like. Here are some of them.

The complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas - Franscatti / Casadesus & Menuhin / Kempff & Stern / Istomin
The Complete Mozart "Great" violin sonatas - Grumiaux / Klien & Szeryng / Haebler
The 3 Brahms violin sonatas - Suk / Katchen & Szeryng / Rubinstein & Stern / Bronfman
Schubert - Stern / Barenboim & Fischer / Helmchen
Franck - Perlman / Argerich & Mintz / Bronfman & Oistrakh / Yampolsky
Saint-Saens - Midori / McDonald


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## BoggyB

Beethoven Spring


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## Ken B

Vaneyes said:


> Head_case had a good suggestion six years ago. I'll add *Schnittke* 1 & 2, *Bartok* 2, *Janacek*, *Penderecki *1 & 2, *Wuorinen*, as well as...


A splendid recording.


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## Marinera

I adore Biber's and Bach's violin sonatas. Actually Bach's partitas for violin too if they count. I listen to them extensively. Brahms sonatas are also fantastic, beautiful and atmospheric. I like Tartini's Devil's trill sonata, but I haven't listened to any other of his works, so it's next on my 'to do' list.


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## Grotrian

Some that I really like:

Beethoven, especially Nos. 9 and 10.
Faure No. 1
Franck Sonata
Saint Saens Sonata No 1
Enescu Sonatas 2 and 3 (don't know No. 1 yet...)
Elgar Sonata
Medtner Sonata No. 3, a vast work with a fantastic scherzo


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## Pat Fairlea

Not my favourite genre either, but try Ravel's Violin Sonata no 2 for some real originality of style and harmony. Here is Oistrakh giving it large in the 2nd movement: 




Greig's 3rd violin sonata is probably the pick of his. Here is the dream team of Fritz Kreisler and Rachmaninov in the 3rd movement: 




Any thoughts on Paul Hindemith's sonatas for solo violin?


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## Antiquarian

Beethoven for me. My favourite set at the moment is Issac Stern and Eugene Istomin, on Sony Classical.


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## martinlinnell

Actually, Mozart called most of his "sonatas for piano and violin". The early ones were essentially piano sonatas with some doubling by the violin - referred to as "not interesting" by Anne Sophie Mutter! I have read through all the entries here and see no mention of some violin sonatas I used to play (the piano part of) with friends and thoroughly enjoyed - the Delius sonatas (and the cello sonata is amazingly beautiful) and the FAE sonata written by Dietrich, Schumann and Brahms for Joachim.


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## SixFootScowl

I avoided violin sonatas because I didn't care for the piano mixed in (piano sonatas were purely the one instrument). But recently I listened to some violin sonatas by Mendelssohn and like them a lot.

It seems that just about any violin music is good. Something about the instrument. But then I also love to make door hinges creek slowly. Does that have any relationship to liking violin music?


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## EdwardBast

Prokofiev's First is among his best. Shostakovich's is really good too. Always like all three of Brahms' as well. The Schumann A minor and Franck too.


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## Woodduck

I love the combination of keyboard and solo strings - sonatas, trios, et al. - including Baroque works with harpsichord (Bach's sonatas are marvelous). The combined capabilities of these contrasting instruments create a wonderful effect of completeness, a sort of orchestra in miniature but more personal in expression. 

Hard to pick favorites, but if pushed I'll go for Brahms.


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