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Ysaÿe: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27
Navona

Ysaÿe: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27

$16.99

Details

Composer
YSAYE, EUGENE
Artist
Thomas Bowes
Format
CD
Label
Navona
Released
Apr 10, 2020
Catalog #
NV6281
UPC
896931005814

About

Acclaimed English violinist Thomas Bowes seems to have a penchant for thoroughness and completion. Known and praised for his complete recording of all J. S. Bach's sonatas and partitas, the European virtuoso has now taken it upon himself to embark on another quest for totality. This time, it is the six sonatas by Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931), presented on Bowes' new album, EUGÈNE YSAŸE: SIX SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN. As one would expect from Bowes, they are played to passionate perfection. Ysaÿe, hailed in his time as no less than the "King of the Violin", is a formidable figure to take on for any modern musician. He was famed not only for precision but more especially for a deeply affecting, quasi-supernatural power of communication. A man of immense generosity and largeness of spirit It is difficult to imagine any violinist adequately reproducing Ysaÿe's compositions and this special aura. Doubly so if one considers the background of the Six Sonatas for Violin. They were written at a crucial point late in life. Plagued by illness and doubt and finding himself increasingly cut off from playing his beloved instrument as he would wish, this deep frustration found expression in this encapsulation of his art. In short, these works - all sketched out at white heat in a 24-hour period and hair-raisingly complex and difficult for the player - are an embodiment of the man. Thankfully, Bowes not only possesses the technical mastery to command every playing requirement; he also approaches these works with a great sense of empathy towards their creator. It is this attribute which affords him the rarest of insights into Ysaÿe's violinistic mastermind. In fact, Bowes plays with such zest and clarity that the listener occasionally needs to be reminded that these are indeed sonatas for solo violin, not for an ensemble of two or three musicians.

Tracklist 15 tracks

  1. 1 Sonata for Solo Violin in E Major, Op. 27, No. 6: I. Allegro giusto 08:39
    Track
    1
    Title
    Sonata for Solo Violin in E Major, Op. 27, No. 6: I. Allegro giusto
    Duration
    08:39
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  2. 2 I. Grave: Lento assai 04:26
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Grave: Lento assai
    Duration
    04:26
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  3. 3 II. Fugato: Molto moderato 04:56
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Fugato: Molto moderato
    Duration
    04:56
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  4. 4 III. Allegretto poco scherzoso: Amabile 04:40
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Allegretto poco scherzoso: Amabile
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  5. 5 IV. Finale con brio: Allegro fermo 02:51
    Track
    5
    Title
    IV. Finale con brio: Allegro fermo
    Duration
    02:51
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  6. 6 I. Allemanda: Lento maestoso 06:09
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Allemanda: Lento maestoso
    Duration
    06:09
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  7. 7 II. Sarabande: Quasi lento 04:01
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Sarabande: Quasi lento
    Duration
    04:01
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  8. 8 III. Finale: Presto ma non troppo 03:22
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Finale: Presto ma non troppo
    Duration
    03:22
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  9. 9 Sonata for Solo Violin in D Minor, Op. 27, No. 3, "Ballade" 07:54
    Track
    9
    Title
    Sonata for Solo Violin in D Minor, Op. 27, No. 3, "Ballade"
    Duration
    07:54
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  10. 10 I. Prelude, "Obsession": Poco vivace 02:51
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Prelude, "Obsession": Poco vivace
    Duration
    02:51
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  11. 11 II. Malinconia: Poco Lento 02:45
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Malinconia: Poco Lento
    Duration
    02:45
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  12. 12 III. Sarabande: Lento, "Danse des ombres" (Dance of the shades) 04:32
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Sarabande: Lento, "Danse des ombres" (Dance of the shades)
    Duration
    04:32
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  13. 13 IV. Les Furies: Allegro furioso 03:28
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Les Furies: Allegro furioso
    Duration
    03:28
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  14. 14 I. L'Aurore: Lento assai 05:11
    Track
    14
    Title
    I. L'Aurore: Lento assai
    Duration
    05:11
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes
  15. 15 II. Danse rustique: Allegro giocoso molto moderato 05:17
    Track
    15
    Title
    II. Danse rustique: Allegro giocoso molto moderato
    Duration
    05:17
    Composer
    Eugène Ysaÿe
    Performer
    Thomas Bowes