# Schumann's 2nd Violin Sonata is divine.



## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

His 2nd Sonata cements to me that Schumann was one of the greatest chamber composers of the 19th century, next to Brahms, Dvořák, etc. The 3rd movement is an unexplainable beauty.


----------



## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Shockingly, this great work is currently on the 110th tier of _The Talk Classical Community's Favorite and Most Highly Recommended Works_ list. I think none of his chamber input gets the cherish they deserve even here in TC.


----------



## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

Highwayman said:


> I think none of his chamber input gets the cherish they deserve even here in TC.


Except for perhaps his Piano Quintet, which, like his Piano Concerto, is somewhat overexposed and draws away attention from his other great works.

His Lieder and String Quartets all deserve more popularity. Not to mention the breathtaking Fantasiestücke Op.73!


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I certainly agree that much of Schumann's chamber music (including the sonata recommended in the OP) does not get the attention it deserves. Much of it seems "closer to the source" than the chamber music of Brahms and Dvorak - less worked and more rhapsodic - and works a kind of magic. Schumann's chamber music has nowhere to hide - the apparatus of the work (the structure and the various planned transitions) is not its face - and his inspiration stands or fails on the merits of the invention.


----------



## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Enthusiast said:


> I certainly agree that much of Schumann's chamber music (including the sonata recommended in the OP) does not get the attention it deserves. Much of it seems "closer to the source" than the chamber music of Brahms and Dvorak - less worked and more rhapsodic - and works a kind of magic. Schumann's chamber music has nowhere to hide - the apparatus of the work (the structure and the various planned transitions) is not its face - and his inspiration stands or fails on the merits of the invention.


Couldn't have put it better myself. And the work that is the subject of this thread is a masterpiece-to take nothing away from the other two great violin sonatas.


----------



## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

chu42 said:


> His 2nd Sonata cements to me that Schumann was one of the greatest chamber composers of the 19th century, next to Brahms, Dvořák, etc. The 3rd movement is an unexplainable beauty.


Which recording are you thinking about? Kremer and Argerich?


----------



## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

juliante said:


> Which recording are you thinking about? Kremer and Argerich?


I have listened to a great deal of recordings of the sonata, including Kremer/Argerich, and I am still stuck on which one I think is best.


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Thanks for bringing this work to my attention, just listened to it, and it is very good. I believe it is a later work too, confirming Schumann's compositional powers were still going strong at that stage of his life.

Schumann - Violin Sonata No. 2





As an aside was just playing through a small Schumann piece on piano _The Happy Farmer_ Op. 68, No. 10. I think Koji Kondo might have used it as his inspiration for the Romani Ranch theme on the video game Zelda: Ocarina of Time.


----------



## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Thanks for the nod to Schumann's violin sonatas. He's one of the only popular composers that I've not spent much time exploring, and I'm working on that oversight this month. The sonatas are added to my list


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

chu42 said:


> His 2nd Sonata cements to me that Schumann was one of the greatest chamber composers of the 19th century, next to Brahms, Dvořák, etc. The 3rd movement is an unexplainable beauty.


Agreed. I've got this one cued up for listening tomorrow.


----------



## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

I'm listening to this album and warmly recommend it. Beautifully recorded too, as usually with Ondine.









Regards,

Vincula


----------



## chu42 (Aug 14, 2018)

tdc said:


> Thanks for bringing this work to my attention, just listened to it, and it is very good. I believe it is a later work too, confirming Schumann's compositional powers were still going strong at that stage of his life.
> 
> Schumann - Violin Sonata No. 2
> 
> ...


The idea that Schumann's compositions declined in his later career is quite the myth. Some of his most introspective works were written on the brink of his mental collapse, such as Gesange der Fruhe Op.133, and the Geistervariationen WoO 24.


----------

