Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast Ysaye Sonatas for Solo Violin
Dec 16, 2021
Tessa Lark, a brilliant soloist renowned for her performance of Ysaye Sonata No. 4 at Wigmore Hall, and Noah Bendix-Balgley, the first concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, dive deep into the world of Eugene Ysaye. They discuss his remarkable six solo violin sonatas, exploring their technical challenges and emotional depth. The conversation highlights the vibrant dynamics within the compositions, contrasting elegance and chaos. With lively anecdotes and insights on interpretation, they reveal how Ysaye's work continues to resonate in modern performances.
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Ysaye's Overnight Sonata Creation
- Eugene Ysaye composed six solo violin sonatas overnight after being inspired by Joseph Szigeti's performance of Bach.
- Each sonata was dedicated to a favorite violinist, reflecting their style or personality.
Ysaye's Polyphonic Violin Writing
- Ysaye emulated Bach's technique of multiple simultaneous notes on violin using double, triple, and quadruple stops.
- This allowed complex polyphonic music to sound fully contrapuntal on a single violin.
Inside Jokes and Tragedy in Sonata 2
- The second sonata's first movement, dedicated to Jacques Thibaud, includes an inside joke with quotations from his obsessive Bach warm-ups.
- It also ominously features the Dies Irae, foreshadowing Thibaud's tragic plane crash death.