Ysaye,E. Sonate Pour Violon Seul CD

Ysaáe was genuinely responsible for re-creating the art of the violin. Endowed with an individual but exceptional technique, a unique, almost voice-like tone that made his violin sing, his principal aim was expression and the genius of his interpretations remain unforgettable. Principally a virtuoso and pro-moter, Ysaáe would compose at those special moments when he was free from mate-rial considerations, connected with his family; "The mood comes upon me at nine o'clock, I am intoxicated by my pipe, the sight of a table covered with rough paper fills me with fever, and then I re-arrange, I write, I talk, I rummage around, and about two o'clock I go upstairs still thoughtful, promising myself other sensations for the following day." (Letter to his friend Th?odore Lindenlaub). He has left us with a body of work that is straightforward and virtuoso but also uneven, that of a talented ar tist, endowed with a "solid" culture: the pieces for violin and orchestra or piano (R?ve d'enfant, Neiges d'antan, Lointain pass?), Amiti? for two violins and orchestra, Exil for strings, Harmonies du soir for quartet and orchestra, Le Chimay trio for strings, Pier li houyeu a vocal work in Walloon and, above all, his musical legacy - the six sonatas for violin solo Op 27. A monument to modern violin technique, these six sonatas for solo violin combine all that has been discovered to enrich the possibilities of the instru-ment, but also create a synthe-sis of his violin playing and of the exceptional interpreter that he himself was. They play a part in the emancipation of the art of the violin: "Through him a spirit of freedom renewed the violin's art." (Jacques Thibaud). The sketches for these six sonatas were realised in twenty-four hours, without earlier preparation, at La Chanterelle, his summer villa at Zoute during the summer of 1923. He only needed a few days for revision and tidyng up. The complete work was published the following year. The whole composition was under the sign of Bach, by whom Ysaáe was genuinely obsessed at that moment. The second sonata, entitled Obsession, is dedicated to Jacques Thibaud, and begin with the opening bars of Bach's partita prelude No 3. Before composing, Ysaáe is said to have commented: "Bach's genius fills with fear anyone who would be tempted to follow the same path. He knows that there is a peak that is difficult to surmount. How to be free of a dominant influence that if you try to write for a solo instrument will inevitably make you write in the manner of But this work conceived by and for the violin, has a genuine personality and great musical and technical value. "It's base is in polyphony. It is, so to speak, the technique of harmony, the arpeggio, of the double, triple and quadruple chord, which produce two, three, four, five and at times six sounds simultaneously or almost simultaneously. And all this in the service of a unfettered, musical imagination that is, let us admit it, rhapsodic." (Antoine Ysaáe) It is a revolution in the violin, bringing together Bach and Paganini where the term "sonata" must be taken in the early seventeenth century sense: a "sonata" being a piece that was played on stringed or wind instruments. "I have allowed a free improvisation to rove. Each sonata makes up a sort of poem where I let the violin follow it's own devices. I wanted to link the musical interest to that of great and genuine virtuosity." (Ysaáe). Each sonata is dedicated to a virtuoso violinist friend, whose personality he wishes to evoke. Sonata No 1 (dedicated to Joseph Szigeti). Grave - Fugato - Allegro poco scherzoso - Finale con brio. This sonata is the most brilliant of the six, it's interest sustained for the four movements with numerous double notes which give the work an orchestral character. Sonata No 2 (dedicated to Jacques Thibaud). Obsession: prelude, Malinconia (one of Ysaáe's most beautiful pages) Danse des Ombres (sarabande) Les Furies (allegro furioso). Romatically inspired, it begins with the E Partita from Bach, then continues in a mood of fantasy, overshadowed by the obsessive theme of the Dies Irae, then the violin removes itself from this obsession to hurl itself into fits of anger. Sonata No 3 (dedicated to Georges Enesco). Ballade: lento molto sostenuto - molto moderato quasi lento - allegro contempo giusto e con bravura: the shortest of the six sonatas but also demanding great virtuoso lyricism. In a single movement, in "classical" form, it is characterised by a principal theme that is in a march rhythm, emphasised by wide arpeggios. It surprises with it's opening bars, worthy of Alban Berg. Sonata No 4 (dedicated to Fritz Kreisler). Allemande - Sarabande (a theme of four notes repeated, surrounded by harmonic and technical filigree) - Finale (a sort of caprice viennois): in classical form (a sort of small baroque suite), directed by the vigorous and sonorous playing of the dedicatee, composed in a masterful style with a strong rhythmic base. Sonata No 5 (dedicated to Mathieu Crickboom, his pupil and friend). Entitled Pastorale in two move-ments: Dawn (lento assai) and Rustic Dance (allegro giocoso molto moderato): it's plucked strings remind one of Paganini and the conclusion is a genuine violin outburst where it seems to move on ever accelerando. Sonata No 6 (dedicated to Manuel Quiroga). In a single movement (allegro), with great appeal, a sort of caprice in which he pays homage to Spain with a central habanera of enormous charm. The Divertimento Op 24 for violin and orchestra (or piano) is dedicated to his son Gabriel. It is an improvised piece which demands total virtuosity of bow and fingers: "progressive form and in a single movement, without pause, the violin enjoys itself and seems to abandon itself to improvisation. There isn't any regular theme, as it were, the language is melodic and the violin technique is essentially singing." Martine Koch Translated by Edward Morgan.

1. Grave 2. Fugato 3. Allegretto Poco Scherzoso 4. Finale Con Brio 5. Obsession 6. Malinconia 7. Danse Des Ombres 8. Les Furies 9. Ballade 10. Allemande 11. Sarabande 12. Finale 13. L'aurore 14. Danse Rustique 15. Allegro Giusto 16. Divertimento, Op. 24 - Richard Pieta/Patrick Dheur