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Solo Violin Sonatas 1-6 Op. 27
Eugène Ysaÿe

Sólveig SteinÞórsdóttir

Solo Violin Sonatas 1-6 Op. 27

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917295627
Catnr: CC 72956
Release date: 02 June 2023
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Label
Challenge Classics
UPC
0608917295627
Catalogue number
CC 72956
Release date
02 June 2023

"...a successful performance of all six sonatas requires an artist of versatility and superior technical gifts. Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir is such an artist. She impressively surmounts all of the considerable technical challenges posed by the various works. Steinþórsdóttir plays with arresting facility, a powerful, focused tone, and impeccable intonation. She also grasps the dramatic weight of these sonatas. She phrases with the utmost purpose, allowing the music to unfold without haste or lack of direction. Kudos are also due to Steinþórsdóttir for giving Ysaÿe's numerous internal moments of silence their full due. These are poised and highly accomplished renditions of supremely challenging repertoire."

Fanfare Magazine, 01-12-2023
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About the album

In summer of 1923, Eugene Ysaÿe heard his friend Joseph Szigeti perform one of J.S. Bach’s Solo Violin Sonatas. Afterwards, on his way to a sojourn at the beach in Le Zoute, Ysaÿe couldn’t stop thinking about the performance: “When one hears an artist like Szigeti, who is able to accommodate his playing to the rectangular lines of the great classics as easily as he can to the expressive melodies of the romantics, one feels how absorbing it would be to compose a work for the violin whilst keeping ever before one the style of one particular violinist.” On arrival at the resort, Ysaÿe disappeared into his room for a couple of days and emerged with sketches of Six Violin Sonatas (Op. 27), each imagined with the sound and style of a specific artist ringing in his ears.

The first of these Op. 27 sonatas is dedicated to Szigeti. Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 2 was written for Jacques Thibaud. The Sonata No. 4 was written for Fritz Kreisler.

The other three sonatas move away from Bach in their style and substance, focusing more exclusively on the violinist dedicatees. No. 3 was for the Romanian violinist and composer George Enescu. The Fifth Sonata, written for Ysaÿe’s favorite student Matthieu Crickboom, is in a completely different mood than the others. Ysaÿe’s final entry in the set, written for the Spanish violinist Manuel Quiroga, is a sequence of dances and arias linked by improvisatory cadenzas.
Nog maar 26 jaar en dan al zes solosonates van de Belgische violist, componist en dirigent Eugen Ysaÿe, live opnemen. Een gewaagde onderneming. De IJslandse violiste Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir is het gelukt. De jonge rijzende ster leverde een prestatie van formaat met deze prachtige opname van de vioolsonates van Ysaÿe, spil van de Franco-Belgische vioolschool en een van de grootste violisten van zijn tijd in zowel vioolconcerten als kamermuziek.

In de zomer van 1923 hoorde Eugene Ysaÿe zijn vriend, de Hongaarse violist Joseph Szigeti, een van de Solo Vioolsonates van Johann Sebastian Bach spelen. Na afloop, op weg naar een strandhuis in de Belgische badplaats Het Zoute, bleef Ysaÿe nadenken over de uitvoering van zijn vriend: "Als je een artiest als Szigeti hoort, die zijn spel net zo gemakkelijk kan aanpassen aan de rechthoekige lijnen van de grote klassiekers als aan de expressieve melodieën van de romantici, voel je hoe boeiend het zou zijn een werk voor viool te componeren, terwijl je steeds de stijl van een bepaalde violist voor ogen hebt." Eenmaal aangekomen bij het strandverblijf trok Ysaÿe zich een paar dagen terug in zijn kamer om er weer uit te komen met schetsen van zes Vioolsonates (opus 27), met in zijn hoofd de klank en stijl van één specifieke kunstenaar.

De eerste van deze Sonates opus 27 is gewijd aan Szigeti. Ysaÿe's Sonate nr. 2 is geschreven voor de Franse violist Jacques Thibaud en de Sonate nr. 4 voor de in Oostenrijk geboren Amerikaanse violist en componist Fritz Kreisler.

De andere drie Sonates wijken in stijl en inhoud af van Bach en richten zich uitsluitend op toegewijde violisten. Sonate nr. 3 was bestemd voor de Roemeense violist en componist George Enescu. In de Vijfde Sonate, geschreven voor Ysaÿe's favoriete leerling Matthieu Crickboom, is een totaal andere stemming te horen dan in de andere sonates. Het laatste stuk in de reeks, bestaat uit een opeenvolging van dansen en aria's verbonden door improvisatorische cadensen, geschreven voor de Spaanse violist Manuel Quiroga.

Dit, in Winterthur in Zwitserland opgenomen, album met mooie vioolsonates, virtuoos gespeeld door Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir, kun je wel een ode noemen aan de honderd jaar geleden geschreven composities van Eugene Ysaÿe.

Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir begon op driejarige leeftijd viool te spelen aan de Allegro muziekschool in Reykjavík bij Lilja Hjaltadóttir en studeerde later bij Guðný. In 2013 maakte ze haar solodebuut bij het Iceland Symphony Orchestra met het vioolconcert van Tsjaikovski. Sindsdien is ze soliste bij verschillende orkesten in IJsland, Duitsland, Italië en Zwitserland, met werken van Vivaldi, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Chausson en Sibelius. Sólveig geeft regelmatig recitals en kamermuziekconcerten in IJsland en op het vasteland van Europa. Sólveig speelt op een viool die in 2011 is gemaakt door de IJslandse gitaarbouwer Hans Jóhannsson.
Im Sommer 1923 hörte Eugene Ysaÿe seinen Freund Joseph Szigeti eine der Soloviolinsonaten von J.S. Bach spielen. Danach, auf dem Weg zu einem Strandaufenthalt in Le Zoute, konnte Ysaÿe nicht aufhören, an die Aufführung zu denken: "Wenn man einen Künstler wie Szigeti hört, der in der Lage ist, sein Spiel den rechtwinkligen Linien der großen Klassiker ebenso leicht anzupassen wie den ausdrucksstarken Melodien der Romantiker, spürt man, wie fesselnd es wäre, ein Werk für die Violine zu komponieren und dabei immer den Stil eines bestimmten Geigers vor Augen zu haben." Nach seiner Ankunft am Urlaubsort zog sich Ysaÿe für einige Tage in sein Zimmer zurück und kam mit Skizzen von sechs Violinsonaten (op. 27) zurück, von denen jede den Klang und den Stil eines bestimmten Künstlers in seinen Ohren klingen ließ.

Die erste dieser Sonaten op. 27 ist Szigeti gewidmet. Die Sonate Nr. 2 von Ysaÿe wurde für Jacques Thibaud geschrieben. Die Sonate Nr. 4 wurde für Fritz Kreisler geschrieben.

Die anderen drei Sonaten entfernen sich stilistisch und inhaltlich von Bach und konzentrieren sich ausschließlich auf die Widmungsträger der Geiger. Nr. 3 war für den rumänischen Geiger und Komponisten George Enescu bestimmt. Die fünfte Sonate, die für Ysaÿes Lieblingsschüler Matthieu Crickboom geschrieben wurde, ist in einer völlig anderen Stimmung als die anderen. Ysaÿes letzter Beitrag in der Reihe, der für den spanischen Geiger Manuel Quiroga geschrieben wurde, ist eine Abfolge von Tänzen und Arien, die durch improvisatorische Kadenzen verbunden sind.

Artist(s)

Sólveig SteinÞórsdóttir (violin)

Icelandic violinist Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir made her solo debut with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2013, playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. She has since been featured as a soloist with various orchestras in Iceland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, performing works by Vivaldi, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Chausson and Sibelius. Sólveig regularly gives recitals and chamber music concerts in Iceland and across mainland Europe. She has participated in master classes with Augustin Hadelich, Alexander Markov, Shlomo Mintz, Hagai Shaham among others.  Sólveig started playing the violin at the age of three at the Allegro music school in Reykjavík with Lilja Hjaltadóttir and later studied with Guðný Guðmundsdóttir at the Reykjavík College of Music. She completed a bachelor’s degree at the Berlin University of the Arts...
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Icelandic violinist Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir made her solo debut with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2013, playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. She has since been featured as a soloist with various orchestras in Iceland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, performing works by Vivaldi, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Chausson and Sibelius. Sólveig regularly gives recitals and chamber music concerts in Iceland and across mainland Europe.

She has participated in master classes with Augustin Hadelich, Alexander Markov, Shlomo Mintz, Hagai Shaham among others.

Sólveig started playing the violin at the age of three at the Allegro music school in Reykjavík with Lilja Hjaltadóttir and later studied with Guðný Guðmundsdóttir at the Reykjavík College of Music. She completed a bachelor’s degree at the Berlin University of the Arts studying with Erika Geldsetzer and a master’s degree at the Zurich University of the Arts with Rudolf Koelman, both with distinction.

Sólveig has received grants from the Lyra Foundation Switzerland, the S. Eustachius Foundation Switzerland, the Rotary Foundation of Iceland and the Ingjaldssjóður Scholarship from the University of Iceland.

She plays on a violin made in 2011 by Icelandic luthier Hans Jóhannsson.


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Composer(s)

Eugène Ysaÿe

Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist and composer. He received his first violin lessons from his father at the age of five. At seven years old, he already gave his first public concert. However, it didn't go as his father would have liked it. Eugène didn't try his hardest and at one moment the Conservatory of Liège even refuse to take him because of his bad performance. In 1873, he received 12 lessons from Henryk Wieniawski. Since he admired Wieniawski so much, these lessons had an enormous impact on his career. In 1880, he became the concert master for one year of the Bilse Orchestra in Berlin, the direct predecessor of the Berliner Philharmoniker.  In 1896, he was appointed professor at the Conservatory of...
more
Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist and composer. He received his first violin lessons from his father at the age of five. At seven years old, he already gave his first public concert. However, it didn't go as his father would have liked it. Eugène didn't try his hardest and at one moment the Conservatory of Liège even refuse to take him because of his bad performance.
In 1873, he received 12 lessons from Henryk Wieniawski. Since he admired Wieniawski so much, these lessons had an enormous impact on his career. In 1880, he became the concert master for one year of the Bilse Orchestra in Berlin, the direct predecessor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 1896, he was appointed professor at the Conservatory of Brussels. At this point, it was clear Ysaÿe was not just a masterful violinist, but also a great composer.

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Press

...a successful performance of all six sonatas requires an artist of versatility and superior technical gifts. Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir is such an artist. She impressively surmounts all of the considerable technical challenges posed by the various works. Steinþórsdóttir plays with arresting facility, a powerful, focused tone, and impeccable intonation. She also grasps the dramatic weight of these sonatas. She phrases with the utmost purpose, allowing the music to unfold without haste or lack of direction. Kudos are also due to Steinþórsdóttir for giving Ysaÿe's numerous internal moments of silence their full due. These are poised and highly accomplished renditions of supremely challenging repertoire.
Fanfare Magazine, 01-12-2023

Play album Play album
01.
Sonata No. 1 in G Minor: I. Grave: Lento assai
05:02
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
02.
Sonata No. 1 in G Minor: II. Fugato: Molto moderato
04:22
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
03.
Sonata No. 1 in G Minor: III. Allegretto poco scherzoso: Amabile
04:20
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
04.
Sonata No. 1 in G Minor: IV. Finale con brio: Allegro fermo
02:58
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
05.
Sonata No. 2 in A Minor: I. Obsession: Prélude - Poco vivace
02:32
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
06.
Sonata No. 2 in A Minor: II. Malinconia: Poco lento
02:05
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
07.
Sonata No. 2 in A Minor: III. Danse des ombres: Sarabande
04:36
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
08.
Sonata No. 2 in A Minor: IV. Les furies: Allegro furioso
03:16
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
09.
Sonata No. 3 in D Minor: „Ballade“: Lento molto sostenuto - Allegro in tempo giusto e con bravura
06:51
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
10.
Sonata No. 4 in E Minor: I. Allemanda: Lento maestoso
05:08
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
11.
Sonata No. 4 in E Minor: II. Sarabande: Quasi lento
03:14
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
12.
Sonata No. 4 in E Minor: III. Finale: Presto ma non troppo
03:18
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
13.
Sonata No. 5 in G Major: I. L’Aurore: Lento assai
04:24
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
14.
Sonata No. 5 in G Major: II. Danse rustique: Allegro giocoso molto moderato
05:27
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
15.
Sonata No. 6 in E Major: Allegro giusto non troppo vivo
07:37
(Eugène Ysaÿe) Sólveig Steinþórsdóttir
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