EXCEPTIONAL EDVARD GRIEG (1843 – 1907) Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45, for violin and piano (1887) Édua Zádory, violin; Raluca Stirbat, piano 1) Allegro molto [ed] appassionato [not heard in the present performance] 2) Allegretto espressivo alla Romanza [not heard in the present performance] 3) Allegro animato [the movement performed in the present performance] This presentation is, in more ways than one, exceptional. For one thing, those who have listened to the recordings, videos, recitals, and concerts I have shared at Facebook know that I usually make completeness an issue: I’ll rarely present one movement without the others that also comprise a work in its entirety. Exceptions are operas, oratorios, and other very long vocal, choral, or liturgical works; I’ll share an aria or ensemble without including all the recitative and other components that make the work last, say, two and a half hours. Hence, this share of a single movement is unusual for me; as I almost never show only one movement of a sonata—here, its finale--without the others. In this instance, however, the Allegro animato of Grieg’s third violin sonata is played so breathtakingly that to omit it from public display would simply be petty and ungenerous, even though (to my knowledge) no complete video of this performance exists at YouTube. This performance is hard to find for a number of reasons, and unaccountably fails to acknowledge the considerable contribution of the pianist, who is not named in the video’s written legend or graphics. Make no mistake: this is NOT a “sonata for violin with piano accompaniment”; it is a sonata for the ENSEMBLE of violin and piano—not a virtuoso showpiece for the violinist, with the pianist remaining demurely in the background (in fact, the composer himself took the piano part at this sonata’s premier performance). The violinist is clearly marvelous—but, no less obviously, so is the pianist. If, during at least your second hearing, you can pry your attention away from Ms. Zádory, you will be handsomely rewarded. Also, there is another video at YouTube that is BILLED as these musicians’ performance of Grieg’s opus 45. It is not; it is instead the seventh piano-and-violin sonata of Ludwig van Beethoven. Thats a wonderful one too, though not as advertised. Beware: this one is the real Zádory-and-Stirbat Grieg. youtube/watch?v=WjP9x80_CJM
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:15:20 +0000
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