Carolin Widmann - Reflections (2015)

Tracklist
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01. Anthemes
02. Violin Sonata in A Minor, Op. 27, No. 2: I. Prelude, "Obsession": Poco vivace
03. Violin Sonata in A Minor, Op. 27, No. 2: II. Malinconia: Poco Lento
04. Violin Sonata in A Minor, Op. 27, No. 2: III. Sarabande (lento): "Danse des ombres" (Dance of the shades)
05. Violin Sonata in A Minor, Op. 27, No. 2: IV. Les Furies: Allegro furioso
06. 6 Capricci: No. 1. Vivace
07. 6 Capricci: No. 2. Andante
08. 6 Capricci: No. 3. Assai agitato
09. 6 Capricci: No. 4. Volubile
10. 6 Capricci: No. 5. Presto
11. 6 Capricci: No. 6. Con brio
12. Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 27, No. 4: I. Allemanda: Lento maestoso
13. Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 27, No. 4: II. Sarabande: Quasi lento
14. Violin Sonata in E Minor, Op. 27, No. 4: III. Finale: Presto ma non troppo
15. Etudes: Etude I
16. Etudes: Etude II
17. Etudes: Etude III

When writing for a solo instrument like the violin, a composer is confronted with the limitations and the possibilities of the instrument on the one hand, but also with physical limits of the player on the other hand. In the end, only the reciprocal relationship between the soloist and the instrument defines the direction of sound, the musical process and the shape of composition.

This might be the reason why pieces for solo violin frequently were written by violinists who were very well acquainted with the possibilities of their own instrument. Apart from a plethora of acrobatic exercises, only a handful of masterworks prevailed.

Before Ysaÿe's six solo sonatas (written 1923/24) or Hungarian violinist and composer Zoltán Székely's solo sonata (written 1919/20), the established repertoire was limited to Bach's sonatas and partitas and Paganini's 24 Caprices.

Even though these works are more or less present in the minds of composers nowadays, the works for solo violin that were written in the second half of the 20th century and today experiment with new playing techniques and a new territory of expressivity.

Carolin Widmann plays a G B Guadagnini violin from 1782.

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