Kejia He - Eugène Ysaÿe: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 (2021)

Tracklist

01. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (à Joseph Szigeti): I. Grave (Lento assai)
02. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (à Joseph Szigeti): II. Fugato (Molto moderato)
03. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (à Joseph Szigeti): III. Allegretto poco scherzoso (Amabile)
04. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor (à Joseph Szigeti): IV. Finale con brio (Allegro fermo)
05. Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor (à Jacques Thibaud): I. Prelude – Obsession (Poco vivace)
06. Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor (à Jacques Thibaud): II. Malinconia (Poco lento)
07. Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor (à Jacques Thibaud): III. Danse des ombres (Sarabande; lento)
08. Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor (à Jacques Thibaud): III. Les furies (Allegro furioso)
09. Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, “Ballade”-Lento molto misterioso (à Georges Enescu)
10. Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor (à Fritz Kreisler): I. Allemanda (Lento maestoso)
11. Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor (à Fritz Kreisler): II. Sarabande (Quasi lento)
12. Violin Sonata No. 4 in E Minor (à Fritz Kreisler): III. Finale (Presto ma non troppo)
13. Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major (à Mathieu Crickboom): I. L’Aurore (Lento assai)
14. Violin Sonata No. 5 in G Major (à Mathieu Crickboom): II. Danse rustique (Allegro giocoso molto moderato)
15. Violin Sonata No. 6 in E Major-Allegro giusto non troppo vivo (à Manuel Quiroga)


Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931) was born into a musical family and began learning the violin at age five under the tutelage of his father. Although Eugène wasn’t considered a prodigy, he was revered by many as “The King of the Violin” during his time, and was close acquaintances with many notable and influential musicians, such as Joseph Joachim, Franz Liszt, Clara Schumann and Anton Rubinstein. During his time, Ysaÿe developed close relationships with other prominent composers as well, including Ernest Chausson, Gabriel Fauré and César Franck, all of whom dedicated works to Ysaÿe. Upon hearing virtuosic and expressive performances of J.S. Bach’s solo violin works by renowned Hungarian violinist and pedagogue Joseph Szigeti, Ysaÿe was inspired to compose his own set of solo sonatas for the violin. Showcasing the
full potential of the violin, each of his six sonatas is dedicated to a distinguished violinist in the form of a stylized musical portrait.

Violinist Kejia He has been widely praised by audiences for his precise technique and elegant musical taste. He showed musical talent at an early age and began learning the violin at age five. Growing up in Du Jiang Yan, Kejia’s musical style was deeply influenced by the natural mountainous beauty that surrounds his home town. Kejia continued his studies at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music’s middle school, where at age 17 he ascended to the final round of the 8th National Youth Violin Competition and won the Great Performance prize. In 2007, Kejia began studies with Yaoji Lin, the most famous violin professor in China, at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. After Professor Lin’s passing in 2009, he continued with Professor Liang Chai, and went on to graduate in 2011 with a First Place award in violin performance. In the same year, with full scholarships and a Starling scholarship and others, Kejia came to the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati and began studies with professor Kurt Sassmannshaus. During his study, he performed numerous times in Starling Showcase Concerts as a soloist. In 2015, as the concertmaster of College-Conservatory of Music Concert Orchestra and Teaching Assistant of Sassmannshaus, he won First Prize in the Concerto Competition there, performing the Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2 and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto to high acclaim from audience and CCM faculty members alike. In the same year, Kejia took part in founding the Cincinnatus String quartet, playing first violin. The new quartet received tutelage from the Ariel String Quartet and Ying String Quartet, and after numerous performances in local venues and music festivals, they participated in the 2016 Schoenfeld International String Competition and won the Award of Excellence prize. He returned to China in 2017, and subsequently won Third Prize in the 2019 Jeunesses International Music Competition in Romania. Currently, Kejia He is on the violin faculty of the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. This is his debut recording.

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