Lisa Jacobs - Poème - Franck & Ysaÿe: Works for Violin & Piano (2014)

Three virtuoso works for violin and piano, two by the Belgian composer Eugene Ysaye: Poème Elégiaque op. 12 and Extase op. 21, and a piece written as a wedding present for Ysaye by his friend Cesar Franck, the Sonata in A major are performed by the highly talented Dutch violinist Lisa Jacobs with pianist Gunar Letzbor.
The title of Ysaye’s Poème Elégiaque op. 12 is derived from the middle section of the piece, which depicts a passing funeral procession accompanied by tolling bells. It was played at Ysaye’s own funeral. Cesar Franck’s Sonata in A Major was written in 1886 and is one of the composer’s most celebrated works.
The Dutch violinist Lisa Jacobs has performed the works featured here in many of her concerts since she first discovered them at the age of 16. Having started playing the violin at the age of six, she was accepted in the Young Talent class of the Utrecht Conservatory and continued studying with Ilya Grubert at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. At the age of only 17, Lisa made a successful debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Riccardo Chailly. She has won several first prizes in both national and international competitions, one of them being at the 2nd International Jascha Heifetz Violin Competition in Lithuania 2005, where she also received the Audience Prize.