Favourite Violin and Piano Work?

[thetamman]

Hello again.

Back to discuss/publicise more awesome music: this time in the genre of Violin and Piano. I'm thinking of learning a violin/piano work with my friend, but am rather naive in this department. Your musical expertise is needed!

My research has led to my current considerations:

1) Debussy Violin Sonata (goodness, a real jewel of the repertoire)
2) Schumann Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor (beautiful, and this is something, as normally I can't stand the guy)
3) Medtner Violin Sonatas (esp. the 3rd one (Epica): WOW... unfortunately, its just too long - I don't have the time to learn it:( ).
4) Sjogren: Violin Sonatas (don't know much: they sounded good, but specific recommendations? help!)
5) Elgar Violin Sonata (Don't really know it, but my friend suggested this. Your thoughts?)
6) Prok Violin Sonatas (totally clueless. recommendations?)
7) Kapustin Violin Sonata (cannot find score anywhere though:S - where can I buy this?)
Transcription of a work for Violin and Piano: e.g. Debussy Arabesque/Medtner Fairytale Op. 20/1 (are these frowned upon in competition/performance?)

I have a good deal of scores which look so interesting, yet which I cannot seem to find recordings to:
Here's just some.
1) Feinberg's Violin Sonata
2) Bowen Barcarolle for Violin/Piano

I have done a lot of research, but still am a novice in this field. Any, ANY input at all would just be brilliant. Please, don't think something is too elementary/obvious to say - chances are you'll be helping  Captain Clueless (yours truly) out (and everyone else who reads this thread) immensely.

Regards,
thetamman

[thalbergmad]

i tend to like most works by Sarasate.

Thal

[thetamman]

i tend to like most works by Sarasate.

Thal

Hi Thal,
I must confess that I've never heard of the name. Could you enlighten me with a few specific names/scores/recordings of his music? What do you think of my current list?

Cheers
thetamman

[thalbergmad]

Sarasate's zigeuner-weisen and Carmen Variations are probably his best known compositions. Pretty much Romantic "show off" pieces but very effective in my most humble of opinions.

I have no Violin scores at all in my collection, only piano transcriptions so i cannot help you there. I expect there are a lot of vids on you tube for Sarasate.

I am not aware of any of the pieces you mention on your list.

Thal

[indutrial]

I know I keep recommending the same composers, but you should take a listen to Milhaud's second sonata for violin and piano, op. 40 (1917). This is a totally neglected masterpiece.

Other suggestions would be:

Georges Auric - Sonata in G for violin and piano
George Enescu - he wrote three violin sonatas.

[thracozaag]

My current favourites are the Medtner B-minor and Lekeu sonatas.

[weissenberg2]

I generally don't like the sound of the violin but anyway:

the Medtner violin sonatas

the Grieg violin sonatas

the Brahms violin sonatas

Something by De Falla but I forget the pieces name

[pianowolfi]

Janáček Sonata: very special
Prokofiev Sonatas
Prokofiev 5 Melodies: very beautiful and not too hard
Brahms A major and G major anyway

[kitty on the keys]

Franck--violin sonata
Faure---A major sonata
Beethoven---"Spring" Sonata
Kriesler---Prealudium

Kitty on the keys

[sharon_f]

Beethoven, "Kreutzer" Sonata

[neardn]

henri vieuxtemps

[thetamman]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I enjoyed the Beethoven, as well as the third movement of the Medtner.

I know I keep recommending the same composers, but you should take a listen to Milhaud's second sonata for violin and piano, op. 40 (1917). This is a totally neglected masterpiece.

Other suggestions would be:

Georges Auric - Sonata in G for violin and piano
George Enescu - he wrote three violin sonatas.

There's no problem - I do the same thing - it's because some composers are just simply better than others:P. I'm checking them out atm.

henri vieuxtemps

Anything in particular my the guy? He seems to have written a lot of stuff.

For your own listening, I personally found Messiaen's Theme and Variations absolutely compelling - it captured my attention on the first listening for the whole duration - which, for Messiaen in my opinion, is saying something. Check it out. Also Tailleferre's Violin sonatas seem inexplicably neglected. Nice moments in them too!

Feel free to keep adding to our nice 'pool' of violin-piano repertoire suggestions - there's so much to discover!

Regards,
thetamman



For

[angierc]

I love Mendelssohn's violin concerto in E major Op 64. Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy Op 25 is good, too.
Some of Beethoven's violin sonatas are good, as well as Paganini's caprices...

[gep]

Considring the last post mentiones both violin+orchestral and solo works, how about:

Furtwängler: 2 sonatas for violin & piano (several recordings)
Claude Loyola Allgen: Sonata for Solo Violin (2 recordings)
Andrew Violette: Sonata for Solo Violin (1 recording)

[go12_3]

*Beethoven's Sonata No. 5 "The Spring"

*Beethoven's Sonata No. 8

*Tartini Sonata in G Minor     

best wishes,

go12_3

[perfect_pitch]

EASY...

Brahms Scherzo in c minor for Violin & Piano

That has to be one of the best pieces for violin & piano. Brilliant.

[indutrial]

As a general recommendation, anyone who's interested in chamber music should be checking IMSLP.org at least once every week or so and perusing the list of newly added scores. In the past few months, with the addition of Sibley's collection of scores (not to mention regular updates from that source), there have been tons of chamber scores for piano quartet, piano quintet, violin/piano, string quartet, etc...

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it yet...but Roussel wrote two excellent sonatas for violin and piano, the first of which is available at IMSLP:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Sonata_for_Violin_and_Piano_No.1%2C_Op.11_(Roussel%2C_Albert)

Other items of interest may be:

Honegger's first sonata for violin and piano (1918)
https://imslp.org/wiki/Sonata_No._1_for_Violin_and_Piano_(Honegger%2C_Arthur)

Either of Faure's two sonatas, op. 13 (1876) and op. 108 (1917), the first of which is the aforementioned A major one. I prefer the second work, a piece that is far more emotionally complex and harmonically inventive.
https://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata_No.1%2C_Op.13_(Faur%C3%A9%2C_Gabriel)
https://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata_No.2%2C_Op.108_(Faur%C3%A9%2C_Gabriel)

I've been listening to lots of piano trio music these past few weeks, so Faure is fresh on my mind. The op. 120 trio is a work of remarkable maturity that makes me wonder what sort of works Faure would have written had he lived/composed through the remainder of the 1920s. The piano trios of Debussy and Roussel are both interesting early works from each of the two composers' catalogs (Debussy's was written at the age of 18!), but still beautiful and worth a listen. I've studied much of Tansman's surviving piano trio (no. 2, 1939), and it stands as one of my favorite chamber works, even though I've not had the chance to hear anyone perform it live and it's not yet recorded. I've finally ordered a used copy of the somewhat rare recording of Milhaud's piano trio, op. 428 (1968), a work that I'm certain is just as well-crafted as any other work from his later catalog (e.g. his excellent piano quartet, from a few years prior). The disc looks very interesting, as it also contains a trio written by Milhaud's fellow 'Les Six' composer Germaine Tailleferre and the third piano trio by Nikolai Roslavets, who I consider one of the finest chamber composers of the early century.

[edwardweiss]

 Without any doubt, Max Reger, Sonata in F sharp minor Op.84.

[retrouvailles]

Szymanowski has some wonderful works for violin and piano. The Mythes and Nocturne and Tarantella are all very, very good pieces. The early Sonata in D minor and the three Paganini Caprice arrangements are rather weak, though. I would go with the earlier pieces.

[webern78]

Beethoven, "Kreutzer" Sonata

Greatest violin sonata ever written, bar none. My spine chills just thinking about it.

[indutrial]

The early Sonata in D minor and the three Paganini Caprice arrangements are rather weak, though. I would go with the earlier pieces.

Are you saying that they're weak in general or weak in comparison to his later works like Mythes? I think his early works are really good, especially compared to other works in the Polish repertoire.

[retrouvailles]

Are you saying that they're weak in general or weak in comparison to his later works like Mythes? I think his early works are really good, especially compared to other works in the Polish repertoire.

Weak compared to his later works like Mythes. They certainly are very well contructed pieces that could stand alongside some romantic violin sonatas. I just think the "real", or mature, Szymanowski is more worth investigating. Speaking of Polish repertoire, the pianist/violinist Grażyna Bacewicz composed quite a bit of violin sonatas (and other works for the medium). I quite like the fourth one.

[pies]

a

[carazymcmahon]

I realllly like vitali's chaconne.

give it a listen

I think youll enoy it.

[richard black]

Another vote for the Beethoven 'Kreutzer' sonata.

Also Enescu's 3rd, Pizzetti's, either of Prokofiev's, several of Mozart's - oh, I'm pretty fond of a lot of the violin and piano rep, to be honest.

[pianalex]

no less than 6 great violin and keyboard sonatas by js bach....

[indutrial]

Speaking of Polish repertoire, the pianist/violinist Grażyna Bacewicz composed quite a bit of violin sonatas (and other works for the medium). I quite like the fourth one.

There are five violin/piano sonatas total, which is pretty high for a modern composer. The second through the fifth are exceptional works. I would also recommend Bacewicz's Partita for piano and violin.

Also look up Tansman's Cinq Pieces for violin/piano. Somebody posted all five movements on Youtube. Like many of Tansman's chamber works for piano and soloist, the piece explores a lot of different feels ranging from a lightning-fast Mouvement Perpetuale to an introspective and beautiful Aria. Well worth checking out....

[weissenberg2]

Greatest violin sonata ever written, bar none. My spine chills just thinking about it.

Grieg violin sonata no.3 is easily as good as it.

[indutrial]

The thread on toccatas reminded me of this insane work by Conlon Nancarrow for violin and player piano. This is clearly far from what I would call a "favorite" of mine, but it's definitely impressive and worth a listen.

[imbetter]

Grieg 3
Beethoven Kreutzer (I must agree this is the all time greatest piano/violin sonata)
Beethoven Spring
Brahms 1,2, and 3


There are probably a lot more but I can't think of them right now.

[mlbbaseball]

Piano: La campanella (Liszt), Chopin Concertos
Violin: Symphonie espagnole (Lalo), Zigeunerweisen (Sarasate)

[thetamman]

Hey does anyone know whether it's possible to obtain a score of Kapustin's Violin Sonata, and also whether a recording of Feinberg's Violin Sonata exists?

Cheers,
thetamman