The Violin Sonata (1): 17th-18th c.
In the Baroque period, the violin consolidated its position as expressively the most wide-ranging of non-keyboard instruments. This was the age of the great violin makers, like Amati and Stradivari.
We see two lines of development which together lead to the mature violin sonata:
- The sonata for violin and continuo. The violin here is the principal melodist; it is given harmonic support through a prescribed figured bass played on the harpsichord, a small organ or a plucked string instrument as the archlute; the bass line can be further strengthened by a low string instrument as gamba or cello. The sonata of this type first emerged in Northern Italy, then moved to Austria and Germany, and later to France. Principal centers of activity were Venice, Bologna, Vienna, Dresden, Hamburg and Paris, cities where patronage and publication were easily found. Gradually this sonata developed into two types: the sonata da camera ("chamber sonata") which was in fact a suite of stylized dances, and the sonata da chiesa ("church sonata") which had no link with dances and was usually divided into four movements slow-fast-slow-fast.
- The accompanied sonata (second half 18th c.). Here the violinist served in a subordinate position to an obbligato keyboard. This type of sonata challenged the sonata with basso continuo and finally superseded it, leading to the true dual sonata for two equal players.
In the Classical period, we see the flowering of that second type of sonata, the accompanied sonata, in the hands of composers like Johann Christian Bach and Johann Schobert, until and including the early works of Mozart (surprisingly, Haydn did not write any important violin sonatas). This was the period of the transition from the violin sonata with continuo to the violin sonata with keyboard obbligato. But due to the atrophied violin part, the accompanied sonata is not great music - when listening to this type of music, one continually has the feeling something important is lacking. The reason for writing such works was that music had moved to the home, where daughters received a thorough education in piano playing, while the sons studied the violin, but with much less thoroughness. So the violin part had to be much simpler than the piano part in order to make music making in the home possible. It is in the later works of Mozart and those of Beethoven that we finally find complete equality between violin and piano (these works were of course not written for the home, but for professional performers or expert amateurs). In this period composers also began to assign their works to a specific melodic and keyboard instrument instead of leaving that open to the performer.
In the early Romantic period, finally, the sonata (for violin and other solo instruments) played a secondary role to the concerto, owing to the emphasis on virtuosity and brilliance of that time.
1. Biagio Marini, Sonata quarta "Per il violino per sonar con due corde" from Op. 8 (1626)
Italian violin music led to the rise of instrumental music as a separate genre in the 17th century. As the "king of instruments," the violin was considered equal to the voice in its ability to run the gamut of expression from sadness to joy. The earliest known sonatas for violin and bass (unfigured) appear in Cima's Concerto Ecclesiastici of 1610, but more important were Biagio Marini's (1594-1663) adventurous essays in the genre. Marini's second collection (Opera Ottava) is an instrumental book containing everything from dances to sonatas and symphonies for one to six instruments, "all curious and modern inventions. The violin sonatas in this book are characterized by spectacular idiomatic writing (double and even triple stops). Marini greatly expanded the performance range of the violin. He was also one of the first composers, along with Marco Uccellini, to call for scordatura tunings ("scordatura" is a tuning different from the normal, standard tuning that typically attempts to allow for special effects or unusual chords or timbres). In this way, Marini moved the violin sonata genre away from the free instrumentation of his predecessors. He made contributions to most of the genres of his time and explored unusual compositional techniques. What remains of his music shows great inventiveness, lyricism, and harmonic boldness. Marini's music was printed and influential throughout the European musical world. He traveled extensively and "court hopped," holding positions in Brussels, Neuburg an der Donau, Düsseldorf, and many Italian cities (Padua, Parma, Ferrara, Milan, Bergamo, and Brescia). Marini also served under Monteverdi at St. Mark's in Venice.
Listen to: Violine | Sabine Stoffer
Orgel | Magdalena Hasibeder
2. Marco Uccelini, Sonata over Toccata V, "detta La Laura rilucente", Op 4 (1645)
Marco Uccelini (1603-80) was another key figure whose output of mainly secular music for solo violin further developed the resources of that instrument, and helped the rise of independent instrumental music. Uccelini's positions included that of choir master for the Este court at the cathedral in Modena. He composed operas, ballets and instrumental works but none of the
first two genres survive; the instrumental works
include sinfonias, sonatas, and dances and are contained in seven
different collections. His publication Sonate over canzoni (1649) is reckoned as the first publication devoted solely to music for solo violin and continuo. Along with Marini, Uccelini developed an idiomatic, virtuosic approach to violin writing in which he aspired to emulate the expressive range of the human voice.
[Performance listened to: Romanesca (Andrew Manze) on Harmonia Mundi]
3. Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Six Sonatae Unarum Fidium (1664)
After the pyrotechnics of the early Italian violin masters introduced above, the history of violin music next turns to the Austro-Germans. Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1620 or 1623 - 1680) was the first "home-grown" Kapellmeister appointed to the Viennese Imperial Court. Schmelzer was one of the most important violinists of his time, making significant contributions to the development of violin technique and promoting the development of sonata and suite forms in Austria and southern Germany. Schmelzer was able to distill Italian rhetorical brilliance into a stable sonata form. Schmelzer and other Austrian virtuosos such as Biber are also known for their use of figurative and imitative music. The six sonatas of 1664 have their share of virtuosity, but they also contain a new lyricism. This is evident in the Fourth Sonata, where intricate figurations in the violin unfold over a recurring bass pattern. The "Unarum Fidium" in the title translates as "for one violin," with overtones of "a single loyalty.
Listen to Sonata IV, from Sonatae unarum fidium:
Edmund Taylor - Baroque Violin
Mathilde Blondel - Baroque Cello
James Bramley - Theorbo
Alexandra Kremakova - Harpsichord
Although Italy was the center of instrumental prowess in the 17th century, the finest of all virtuosi was Heinrich Biber, who spent most of his working life in Salzburg. Born in Bohemia, he studied with Schmelzer in Vienna. Biber is generally considered one of the most important composers for the violin in the history of the instrument. According to Wikipedia, "his technique allowed him to easily reach the 6th and 7th positions, to use multiple registers in intricate polyphonic passages, and to explore the various possibilities of scordatura tuning. During Biber's lifetime, his music was known and imitated throughout Europe. He also wrote one of the earliest known pieces for solo violin, the monumental Passacaglia in G minor that concludes the Mystery Sonatas. The Mystery Sonatas are fifteen sonatas depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary - they may have been used in traditional rosary devotions in which the faithful walked around a series of paintings placed in a church. In the original edition, each piece is accompanied by a small engraving depicting the mystery it represents. The first five sonatas represent the "Joyful Mysteries". Annunciation (in this sonata you can hear the fluttering of angels' wings), Visitation, Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, and Finding Jesus in the Temple; the next five are the "Sorrowful Mysteries": Agony in the Garden, Suffering in the Temple, and Finding Jesus in the Temple. Agony in the Garden, Flagellation, Crowning with Thorns, Carrying of the Cross and Crucifixion; the last set consists of the "Glorious Mysteries": Resurrection (the rising from the dead), Resurrection of the dead, Resurrection of the dead, Resurrection of the dead. Resurrection (the rising of the sun is vividly depicted), Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption and Crowning of the Virgin. The work concludes with the aforementioned Passacaglia for solo violin, usually known as "The Guardian Angel. Biber's music is not programmatic, but rather evokes the appropriate devotional mood through the use of stylized dance forms and variations. With the exception of Sonatas 1 and 16, all of the sonatas feature various forms of scordatura (unconventional tuning), with a particularly rich variety of phrasing. Except for Sonatas 1 and 16, all of the sonatas have various forms of scordatura (unconventional tuning), with Sonata No. 11 requiring a particularly complex arrangement of crossed strings. This means that at least three violins must be prepared in advance for a continuous performance. This sequence of sonatas is a great symbolic enactment of faith and meditation.
Listen to: Mysterie No.1 - The Annunciation (Biber Rosary Sonata 1) Bjarte Eike & Barokksolistene
5. Arcangelo Corelli, Twelve Sonatas Op 5 (1700)
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) represents an early high point in the development of the violin sonata. Although instrumental music was becoming increasingly important in his time, it is unusual that he wrote no music at all for the voice. His entire output falls into three genres: the trio sonata, the solo violin sonata and the concerto grosso. Corelli was a perfectionist and his published works are few, but his influence was enormous. He is one of the few early composers whose works have remained in the repertoire. Educated in Bologna (at a time when there was something of a backlash against the extravagance of the early virtuosi, with Bologna as an important centre for the development of more serious instrumental music), Corelli's later working life was mainly based in Rome, where he had important patrons. His violin playing was noted for its pathos and elegance. The twelve solo sonatas Op 5 are a distillation of Corelli's understanding of the best qualities of the instrument. The violin technique is brilliant, but always in the service of the music. The collection consists of eleven violin sonatas, six of the sonata da chiesa type and five sonata da camera; the twelfth work is a series of twenty-three variations on the popular dance tune 'La Follia'. This collection was hugely influential - by the end of the century it had appeared in more than 40 editions. Corelli's consolidation of violinistic and compositional conventions brought the genre of the violin sonata into the 18th century galant style and set the standard for the next 100 years. Corelli's teaching also initiated the first major school of violin playing. His many pupils helped to spread his influence throughout Europe.
Listen to: Sonata Op 5 No 12 in D minor La Follia (Da Kamera: Hiro KurosaKi violin, Alberto Martínez Molina harpsichord, Ruth Verona cello)
6. Antonio Vivaldi, Twelve Sonatas Op. 2 (1712-13)
Despite its misleading early opus number, the Opus 2 set of 12 violin sonatas is very much the work of the mature Vivaldi (1678-1741). It is in fact his most significant set of violin sonatas, in which he also pays homage to Corelli's Op. 5. The first edition appeared in Venice. Vivaldi's sonatas for violin and continuo are in a composite church-chamber mold, in which the chamber elements are predominant as is clear from the many dance movements. The style of Op 2 is brilliant. Every sonata begins with a prelude and every prelude has a different style one from the other. The prelude of the second sonata, for example, is a cappriccio in concertante style, while the prelude to the fourth sonata is a restrained andante. Vivaldi's violin sonatas possess a clear architecture, as well as lively and always new rhythms, a simple tonal harmony and are full of invention.
[Performance listened to: Jacques-Francis Manzone and Martine Raibaldi on BNL Production (Auvidis)]
7. Johann Sebastian Bach, Sonatas for violin with obbligato keyboard BWV 1014-18 (1719)
Bach's six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord are in trio sonata form, with the two upper parts in harpsichord (right hand) and violin over a bass line provided by the harpsichord (left hand) and an optional viola da gamba. The first five sonatas are in four movements, following the conventions of the sonata da chiesa, while the sixth sonata is in five movements. Unlike Baroque sonatas for solo instrument and continuo, where the realization of the figured bass was left to the discretion of the performer, the keyboard part in these sonatas was specified by Bach. They were probably written around 1719, when Bach was employed by Prince Leopold of Cöthen. At this time he had access to an excellent German-made harpsichord, which led to his increased interest in the instrument. These sonatas are thus early examples of the equality of violin and keyboard. They are warm and expressive works, with soulful slow movements and appealing fast ones. The level of melodic invention is very high. Together with the solo cello suites and the solo violin sonatas, they show us Bach at his most concentrated and intimate.
Listen to: Bojan Čičić, violin Steven Devine, harpsichord (Netherlands Bach Society)
8. Johann Sebastian Bach, Sonatas and partitas for solo violin BWV 1001–1006 (1720)
This marvelous set consists of three sonatas and three partitas for unaccompanied violin and served as the archetype of unaccompanied sonatas for later generations of composers. Bach wrote the autograph in 1720 in Cöthen, but some pieces may go back to his Weimar period. It is not known who performed these magnificent works (a possibility is Johann Georg Pisendel), but publication had to wait until 1802. One expects that a stringed instrument can only play a single line of music, without harmony or counterpoint, but Bach proves that is very different: through the spreading of the component notes of a chord (and of course also double and triple stops) Bach implies harmony and counterpoint in such a way that it is sometimes difficult to believe you are listening to only a single violin! This is especially the case in the second movement of each sonata which is a fully realized fugue (the fugue of the third sonata is especially complex, derived from the chorale Komm, heiliger Geist, and employing such contrapuntal techniques as stretto, inversion and double counterpoint). The first movements are preludes; the third movements are lyrical and the fourth and final movements have the structure of a typical binary suite movement. Unlike the sonatas, the partitas make use of the usual Baroque stylized dances of allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue, with the addition of new elements. Famous is the extremely virtuoso chaconne of the D minor partita, which Yehudi Menuhin called "the greatest existing structure for solo violin." But this is Bach, so the technical virtuosity is never a surface matter, and the music abounds with vivid melodies of a deeply emotional quality.
[Performance listened to: Sigiswald Kuijken on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi]
Johann Georg Pisendel (1688–1755) was a German Baroque musician, violinist and composer who, for many years, led the Court Orchestra in Dresden. He was friends with Bach and Telemann and also knew Vivaldi personally. Pisendel was the foremost German violinist of his day and as he met Bach in Weimar, he is sometimes named as the performer of the solo violin sonatas by that composer. He wrote very little music himself, but everything is high in quality and his influence was great. All of his surviving works are instrumental and include ten violin concertos, four concertos for orchestra and two sonatas for violin. His major work is the Sonata for Solo Violin in A minor, which has been suggested as an influence on Bach’s solo violin writing. It is in four movements, the final one a set of variations.
[Performance listened to: Thomasz Aleksander Plusa on Brilliant Classics]
10. Georg Philipp Telemann, Violin Sonata in D minor from Sonate metodiche Op 13 (1728, 1732)
Although Bach is now held in the highest esteem, in the 18th c. it was Telemann who was widely regarded as Germany's leading composer. Much of his instrumental music promoted music-making at home. The title "Sonate metodiche" ("Methodic Sonatas") sounds didactically dreary, but in fact these twelve sonatas for violin or flute (or oboe) and continuo are full of invention and expressive charm. They were published in two sets of six, and were meant to assist performers in the art of embellishment. The "methodical" or instructive intent of the collection is provided in the suggested written-out melodic elaborations of the opening movements of each sonata. The first six sonatas are in the strict four-movement form, the second set is much freer (and in five movements).
[Performance listened to: Boston Museum Trio et. al. on Sony]
Jean-Marie Leclair (1697–1764) is considered as the founder of the French violin school. Leclair was born in Lyon, but studied the violin in Turin. After that, he mainly worked in Paris, for example at the Concert Spirituel and at the court of Louis XV, but he also was five years at the court of the Princess of Orange in the Netherlands. As a composer, Leclair successfully drew upon all of Europe's national styles. Typical about his style are the well-balanced phrases with small, detailed ornaments. Another element are the solemn textures that often open a work. The sarabande of Sonata No 4 shows a classical French balance of phrases and a lyricism with detailed nuances of melody and ornament (John Butt in sleeve notes of Hyperion recording).
[Performance listened to: Elizabeth Wallfisch & Convivium on Hyperion]
12. Pietro Antonio Locatelli, Sonata No 6 in D major from XII Sonate a violino solo a basso da camera Op 6 (1737)
Locatelli (1695-1764) studied and worked in Rome, after which he traveled through Italy and Germany from 1723 to 1728. In 1729 Locatelli moved to Amsterdam, where he stayed until his death. He published (or re-published) most of his music in Amsterdam and took great care to present flawless editions. Like Locatelli's Violin Concertos Op. 3 with their associated Capricci, the Violin Sonatas Op. 6 were standards for virtuosos and made him famous throughout Europe. These are modern sonatas written in a progressive harmonic idiom and mostly in three movements instead of the traditional four. They announce the new galant style that was just coming into fashion in the 1730s.
[Performance listened to: Elizabeth Wallfisch (Locatelli Trio) on Hyperion]
13. Franz Benda, Violin Sonata in F minor, L3.73 (1740-45)
Benda (1709-86) was a Bohemian violinist and composer, who worked for much of his life at the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin. Benda was a master of violin playing, the mellow sweetness of his highest notes was reportedly unequaled. Benda composed 17 symphonies, numerous concerti and sonatas for violin, and other chamber works. Benda is a typical representative of the galant style; his cantabile composing style allowed space for elaborate ornamentation during performance (freely added by the performer) which was the height of fashion in this period. The violin part is a far cry from the big sound one usually hears nowadays; in the sleeve notes, Glen Wilson speaks of a silvery tone "like the fluty warbling of the nightingale." In Benda's time, the sonata had dropped the initial slow movement and grown into a three-part structure. The music for the accompanying instrument was generally written out, doing away with the flexibility of the continuo.
[Performance listened to: Hans-Joachim Berg & Naoko Akutagawa on Naxos]
14. Francesco Maria Veracini, Sonata No 12 in D minor from Sonate Accademiche a violino solo e basso Op 2 (1744)
Florence-born Veracini (1690-1768) worked as violinist and composer in Venice, Dresden and London. Veracini's music stands out for its brilliance, clarity and diversity. He wrote violin concertos, orchestral suites and recorder music, but is best known for his sets of violin sonatas. One of these is the Sonate Accademiche, a title which should not be taken in the sense of "academic," for meant are "musical societies." Veracini was one of the greatest virtuosi of his time. He played in great centers of music as Dresden, London and Venice. His contemporaries looked upon him as an "encyclopedia" of violin technique. He was expert in the art of increasing or diminishing tone and a whole range of bowing techniques. In his violin compositions, exceptional virtuosity is also demanded from the violinist's left hand. Veracini's expertise in the field of vocal music is revealed in his slow movements, which have a true Italian "cantabilita." But above all, it is said, his music demonstrated the cosmopolitan experience he had acquired in the course of his travels throughout Europe. The 12th sonata in D minor consists of the movements Passagallo, Capriccio cromatico, Adagio and Ciaconna. The opening Passagallo has an almost Northern restraint and is marked "Very broad and just as it is, but with grace" - in other words, Veracini wants the melody to be payed sweetly and elegantly, but without superficial ornamentation or outpourings.
[Performance listened to: Fabio Biondi et al on Opus 111]
Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) was a composer of great significance and also an excellent performer, pedagogue and theoretician. In his youth he led a nomadic life in northern Italian towns as a violinist - Veracini's playing was a great inspiration for him. From 1721 he became leader of the orchestra of St Anthony's Basilica in Padua, although his appointment also allowed him to travel. Here he founded his famous violin school, which attracted pupils from all over Europe. He also wrote several treatises and other theoretical works on the violin and musical theory in general. Tartini was a prolific composer for the violin: more than 130 violin concertos, about the same number of violin sonatas and about 40 trio sonatas. Many of them were published in Amsterdam, London or Paris. In that last city his Op 5 appeared in an elegantly engraved edition in the 1740s. It is said that Tartini's style changed around 1744, from extremely difficult to graceful and expressive. The Op 5 sonatas belong to both styles; the sixth sonata in B flat major is an early work which contains lots of virtuoso passage work. It is in three movements with a slow opening movement followed by an elaborate Allegro. The last movement, in the rhythm of a minuet, is a set of variations of increasing complexity.
[Performance listened to: Elizabeth Wallfisch et al on Hyperion]
16. Georg Friedrich Handel, Sonata in D major Op 1 No 13 HWV 371 (1750)
Handel's sonatas have always been popular with violinists (they have been performed uninterruptedly since the 1730s) and are as it were miniatures of his style that usually found utterance in grander structures. The problem with Handel's violin sonatas is authenticity - historically, there has been something of a muddle and great violinists like Kreisler used to perform certain sonatas which now are considered as spurious. Modern scholars are in broad agreement that five genuine sonatas exist, based on detective work in paper types and handwriting. These are the sonatas in D minor, G minor, D major, G major and A Major HWV 361. On top of that, Handel's work was often pirated, and some of the violin sonatas appeared in editions for oboe or flute, undoubtedly without Handel's consent. The genuine D major sonata HWV 371 was not published during Handel's life time - although it is now considered as his masterpiece in the genre. It dates from around 1750, so very late in Handel's career - in fact, it was the last piece of chamber music he wrote. In four movements, this sonata is characteristic Handel. The opening Affettuoso is deeply expressive like an opera aria. This is followed by a brilliantly virtuosic Allegro. The Larghetto is darkly colored. The closing Allegro is lively with a dance-like feel.
[Performance listened to: Andrew Manze on Harmonia Mundi] 17. W.A. Mozart, Violin Sonata No 33 in E flat major K481 (1785)
In addition to his genius as a composer and pianist, Mozart was also an accomplished violinist and violist. This is especially clear from the Violin Sonata in E flat major, one of the most mature works in Mozart's chamber music catalog and also a marvel of well-balanced and well-crafted construction on every level. The opening Molto allegro is in sonata form, but has three clearly outlined subjects, which all reappear in the recapitulation. Despite the expansiveness of the material, Mozart introduces a new idea in the development section, a four-note motif that he also used as the main subject of the "Jupiter" Symphony’s finale; it reoccurs in the coda of the first movement. The central Adagio is an idiosyncratic mix of rondo and variation, and the finale is a set of variations on a theme of twenty bars, culminating in an animated figure. Mozart finished this sonata just days ahead of his Piano Concerto 482 in the same key; in the last variation of the sonata’s finale, the "hunting" style echoes the concerto’s concluding rondo.
[Performance listened to: Szymon Goldberg and Radu Lupu on London]
Listen to: Michael and Daniel Barenboim
18. Hummel, Violin Sonata in D Major Op 50 (1810-14)
Hummel (1778-1837) was Mozart's piano pupil and he carried his teacher's classical style into the 19th century - his music stands at the transition from the Classical to the Romantic era. His main oeuvre is for the piano, on which instrument he was one of the great virtuosi of his day. He wrote eight piano concertos, ten piano sonatas and much chamber music which also features the piano. He only wrote a few violin sonatas, of which this is the latest and most enjoyable, cast in three movements. It was written when Hummel was in his thirties and at the height of his fame. The Allegro con brio starts with a breezy and carefree theme in the violin, which is then taken up by the piano. The ensuing Andante is relaxed and playful, though concise. The Rondo Pastorale finale offers some catchy music, with a memorable main theme. In the middle section, the violin introduces a "gypsy theme." The writing in this sonata is full of color and excitement for both instruments. As Richard Burnett writes in his sleeve notes, "A composer at his best in extrovert untroubled music is a rare phenomenon. [...] A blend of sophistication and innocent gaiety is the hall mark of Hummel's finest compositions..."
[Performance listened to: Ralph Holmes and Richard Burnett (original instruments) on Amon Ra]
19. Ferdinand Ries, Violin Sonata in F minor Op 19 (1810)
Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven’s student, friend and biographer. He was a gifted and prolific composer whose works, like those of many other composers of his time, were largely overshadowed by Beethoven’s all too giant presence. Ries’s music was widely known and admired in his lifetime, and his 18 Violin Sonatas are models of the Viennese classical style established by Mozart. The Grande Sonata in F minor, Op. 19, published in 1810, is a large-scale work in both structure and content. It has been linked with Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata on the basis of the dramatic urgency of its main theme and identical tonality. In the Allegro Agitato first movement the feverish piano accompaniment expresses a mood of foreboding. The second theme turns to a major tonality, but the mood of urgency remains. The Andante movement is one of Ries’s loveliest creations, with simple but expressive themes and a flowing triple meter. The breathless Rondo finale returns to the mood of the first movement, but at the same time conveys a playful feeling rather than a dramatic one. The rondo theme is a quirky staccato figure in the piano, followed by a lyrical legato melody in the violin.
[Performance listened to: Eric Grossman and Susan Kagan on Naxos]20. Beethoven, Violin Sonata No. 10 Op. 96 (1812, published 1816)
The loveliest of Beethoven's violin sonatas, written nearly ten years after his second-to-last. In four movements, it was written for the renowned French violinist Pierre Rode, who disliked too much virtuosity and resounding finales, which may have influenced the calmness of this sonata. Indeed, although somewhat subdued, it possesses true ethereal beauty. It belongs to Beethoven's more lyrical "Middle Period," following closely after the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies. The sonata was dedicated to Beethoven's royal pupil Archduke Rudolph, who gave the first performance together with Rode at a private concert. In this sonata violin and piano are absolutely equal partners. The first movement begins with a delicate trill, opening hesitatingly, with short figures passing between violin and piano before the first subject is fully stated. The movement is pervaded by shimmering trills, symmetrical arpeggios and seamless exchanges between piano and violin. The moving Adagio second movement is at first quiet, but builds up slowly to an emotional peak. The brief but energetic Scherzo has a highly contrasting trio. The Poco allegretto fourth movement (a concession to Rode?) is a set of variations on a gentle theme, a light and bright finale that suits the sonata admirably.
[Performance listened to: Itzhak Perlman and Vladimir Ashkenazy on Decca]
Listen to: Leonidas Kavakos, violin Enrico Pace, piano
Listen to: Leonidas Kavakos, violin Enrico Pace, piano