Beethoven The Complete Violin Sonatas(Philips CD4)

This is the second two-CD set of Beethoven's ten sonatas for piano and violin performed by violinist Henryk Szeryng and pianist Ingrid Haebler. It includes Beethoven's final five works in this form, including the three sonatas of opus 30, the opus 47 sonata, and the opus 96 sonata. The best-known work on this CD is Beethoven's ninth sonata in A, opus 47, the "Kreutzer" sonata. Beethoven dedicated this sonata, written in 1803, to a famous violinist, Rudolphe Kreutzer, who never played it. (Originally Beethoven dedicated the work to a violinist named Bridgetower who premiered the work with the composer at the piano. Beethoven withdrew the dedication after he and Bridgetower quarreled over a woman.) The Kreutzer is a flamboyant, virtuosic work of Beethoven's middle period. It features a lengthy opening movement full of double stops on the violin, challenging duels between the instruments and sweeping arpeggios on the piano. The middle movement is a contrasting and florid set of variations and the finale is a sweeping tarantelle that Beethoven originally composed for the first of the opus 30 violin sonatas. Some people hear this work as a musical recreation of the war between the sexes. Indeed, Tolstoy wrote a famous story, "The Kreutzer Sonata" on this theme. This is powerful, passionate music beautifully performed by Szeryng and Haebler and will undoubtedly lead many listeners to this set.