Schneider-Trnavský Machajdík | Dvořák

Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský: Sonata in G minor, op. 12 (1904)

1. Allegro 8:37

2. Scherzo 2:06

3. Adagio 4:29

4. Rondo 4:02

Peter Machajdík: Sonata Rosenberg (2010)

5. Moderato 3:01

6. Lento 3:36

7. Allegro 7:07

Antonín Dvořák: Sonata in F major, op. 57 (1880)

8. Allegro, ma non troppo 12:03

9. Poco sostenuto 6:50

10. Allegro molto 6:21

Slovak composer Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský (1881-1958) was one of the first half of the 20th century's leading proponents of Slovak music. His output focussed mainly on the Slovak heritage of folk songs, and on liturgical music. Trnavský did not compose much chamber music; his only truly important work in this field is the Sonata in G minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 12, of 1904. This composition reflects elements of the composer´s youthfully explosive personality: namely, wit, melodic invention, and a tendency towards lyrical idiom and meditativeness. The sonata has been recognized as one of the mainstays of Slovak classical chamber music.

Slovak composer and sound artist Peter Machajdík (b. 1961) occupies a unique place in the world of contemporary music. He won international acclaim for his multimedia project Intimate Music at the Inventionen 1994 festival in Berlin. Machajdík has worked with numerous chamber ensembles and orchestras, choreographers, dancers and visual artists. He writes music for film and theatre. He is the holder of Slovakia´s most prestigious classical music award, the Ján Levoslav Bella Prize. His Rosenberg Sonata for Violin and Piano, of 2010, is a composition whose structure sets it in a class of its own, and which plays around with the minimalist style, whilst at the same time attesting to the breadth of the composer´s musical and philosophical understanding. The Czechoslovak Chamber Duo premiered Rosenberg Sonata at the Forfest in Kroměříž, Czech Republic.

The Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) is one of the giants of Czech national culture. His music has been played constantly both in his native country and worldwide for well over a century. The period between 1878 and 1880 is often characterized as the "Slavic" stage in Dvořák´s work and his output from that time reflects a distinct attachment to the legacy of Slavic folk music. These few years also marked the composer´s most prolific period, within which he produced a truly breathtaking number of compositions. Also dating from the end of this particular period is the relatively seldom performed Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano, Op. 57, which happens to be Dvořák´s sole work designated as "sonata." It was written in 1880, almost concurrently with the famous Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, the former's lyrical mood standing in contrast to the latter. The structure of the sonata´s content, leading to its cheerful final movement, mirrors the pattern of the concerto. The sonata's compositional form, motivic treatment, and sonic symbiosis of the two instruments reveal the hand of a true master.