Suchoň & Penderecki

Eugen Suchoň: Sonata in A Flat Major for violin and piano, op.1 ESD 45

Krzysztof Penderecki: Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano

EUGEN SUCHOŇ (1908-1993)

Sonata A Flat Major op.1 for violin and piano ESD 45 (1930) is the first of four compositions which he wrote for the violin and a piano. Further were Fantasy and Burlesque, op.7, Sonatina op.11 and Poème macabre, op.17. Suchoň composed the sonata in 1929-30, while he was studying composition with Frico Kafenda in Bratislava. He finished the first part of the Sonata Allegro non troppo in the first half of 1929, the remaining two parts Lento and Allegro vivo, a year later. The work stands out by its sophisticated counterpoint, wealth of ideas and complicated rhythmical shapes. The core of the sonata is formed by frequent modulations, typical for late romantic harmonic thinking, which we find especially in Max Reger. The first part of the work has a lyrical-dramatic character, the second is lyrically cantabile and the third has the character of a scherzo.

KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI (1933-2021)

Penderecki is the author of two sonatas for the violin and piano - Sonata no.1 (1953) and Sonata no. 2 (1999), which is dedicated to the violinist Anne Sophie Mutter. The second sonata has five parts, the first with the second, and the fourth with the fifth are marked as attacca. The most important building element of the sonata is the rhythmic structure. The complicated internal structure of the individual beats permeates melodic lines of both instruments. In the work, there are contrasting compositional units, which bring out parts based on regular rhythmical structures. The Sonata is framed by two piano clusters. The first comes in the beginning violin introduction, with the second, in the final of the fourth part, the work climaxes. The Sonata starts as a Larghetto which smoothly changes to Allegretto scherzando. After the quarter-hour middle Notturno-Adagio, which is the centrepiece of the work, comes Allegro with thick harmonic and rhythmic movements. After a short violin cadenza, comes the final Andante with a reminiscing motive from a preceding musical material.

Supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council, the main partner of the project.