BRAHMS: SONATAS FOR PIANO AND VIOLIN

Classical and Modern Music

Format: Digitalno

Code: 117725

EAN: 3838898117725

ZKP RTV Slovenia in cooperation with Radio Slovenia - ARS programme is releasing Brahms's Sonatas for Piano and Violin performed by pianist, soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, masterclass clinician and competition juror Rok Palčič and violinist and pedagogue Žiga Brank. Brahms wrote the Sonatas at the height of his musical career as a pianist, composer, and conductor when he had achieved acclaim beyond Germany and Austria. The pieces highlight one period of Brahms’s progression as a composer, rather than the arc of musical career. The first two sonatas: The Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, Regensonate (Rain Sonata) and Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100 , with their quotations of Brahms’s vocal music, both exhibit a lyrical style. The third sonata: Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 is not overtly self-referential nor does it imitate his vocal musical style. Instead, it relies on a more symphonic and orchestral influence that honors the strengths and limitations of the instruments.

Rok Palčič

Rok Palčič is active as a soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, masterclass clinician and competition juror. He successfully combines a broad range of experiences with his passion for entrepreneurial pursuits and organising cultural events.

He commenced his musical education at the age of five and was invited by pianist Prof. Sijavush Gadjiev to join his studio only a few years into his studies. Gadjiev later introduced him to the renowned pianist, pedagogue and International Chopin Competition laureate Pavel Gililov, with whom he continued his studies at the Cologne University of Music in Germany. After graduating in 2009, he decided to broaden his interests by pursuing a postgraduate degree in chamber music performance. He moved to Graz, Austria, to study with Chia Chou, pianist and co-founder of the Trio Parnassus. After completing his second master’s degree, he briefly occupied a teaching position in his home country of Slovenia before moving to the United States. During his studies, he also took part in several masterclasses with pedagogues and pianists Aldo Ciccolini, Deniz Galenbe, Ronald Pröll, Kolja Lessing and Jeremy Denk, among others.

In 2003, Rok Palčič was awarded the Škerjanc Prize for exceptional musical achievements. In 2007, he performed at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr in Germany and was also awarded a Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now foundation scholarship. His performances at prestigious festivals, as well as the prizes he has gained in national and international competitions, have taken Palčič to venues across Slovenia, Italy, France, Croatia, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has performed with renowned artists, such as Koryun Asatryan, Ida Bieler, Ofer Canetti, Dudu Carmel, Nora Romanoff-Schwarzberg, Steven Thomas, Benjamin Ziervogel, Andrej Žust, and others.

Rok Palčič’s career in the United States started in 2015, following the completion of his master’s degree at the University of Florida, when he was offered a two-year post as Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano and Chamber Music. His doctoral research at the University of Maryland was focused on rediscovering forgotten music by Late Romantic composers – most notably the premiere recording of the complete works for solo piano by French composer Mélanie Bonis – as well as paying tribute to the great masterpieces of the Western canon, such as Brahms’s complete sonatas for piano and violin, which he recorded with Žiga Brank for the Slovenian ZKP label in 2019.

While performing and teaching remain his primary focus, he devotes significant effort to managing two companies, Chevy Chase Music and Music School 21, which cater to the musical and educational needs of various audiences.

In addition to his concert, pedagogical and entrepreneurial activity, Rok Palčič is also a passionate philanthropist. He is the founder and artistic director of the Cultural Arts Society Ars Haliaeti and the president of the Art Music Society, both focused on providing support and opportunities to young musicians, as well as making music accessible to marginalised populations.

Žiga Brank

Slovenian violinist and pedagogue Žiga Brank currently holds a teaching position at the Academy of Music Ljubljana and at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana. Numerous critics regard his playing as technically brilliant, also emphasising his refined feeling for interpretation and his convincing conveyance of the music to listeners. Settled in Slovenia, he started to work as a concertmaster of the SNG Opera and Ballet Maribor and later became a member of the Zagreb Soloists. He was teaching in masterclasses in Slovenia, Austria, Israel, Croatia and gave lectures as a guest professor at the Academy of Music in Zagreb. He participates as a jury member in important national and international competitions (Jeno Hubay Violin Competition). In 2021 he was appointed Head of Department of Music Education/Pedagogy at Academy of Music Ljubljana. He is also a central board member of the Slovenian branch of European String Teachers Association.

In this season he is preparing the release of Beethoven's violin concerto and 2 romances (with the RTV Slovenia Orchestra under the baton of S. Kulenović). His other releases for the Slovenian national label ZKP include E. Ysaye's Solo violin sonatas and the Paganini's 24 Capricci, both reviewed with excellent critics.

His recent chamber music projects include numerous recitals at the most important slovenian festivals (Festival Maribor, Festival Radovljica, Festival Tartini, Narodni dom Maribor, Ljubljana Drama).

Žiga Brank was born in Ljubljana, where he started learning the violin at the age of six. His educational path quickly led him abroad, where he continued his studies as a young student at the College of Music and Theatre Rostock with C. Hutcap. He graduated from the Karlsruhe College Music in the class of prof. J. Rissin. Numerous seminars with established professors such as I. Ozim, Z. Bron, G. Zhislin, Ch. Taub, M. Yashvili, G. Lipkind made important contributions to the development of his musical personality and later his own pedagogy.

As a soloist he performed also with Sarajevo Philharmonic, RTV Slovenia Orchestra, Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra of Košice, Slovenian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Among the most important performances is the 2017 first performance of then newly discovered L. M. Škerjanc's violin concerto with the RTV Slovenia orchestra at the Ljubljana Festival .

Žiga Brank plays on violin by C. F. Landolfi, made in 1750 in Milan, previously played by one of the most prominent Slovenian violinists, Dejan Bravničar, between 1957 - 2018.
 

Brahms's Sonatas for Piano and Violin

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) wrote the Sonatas for Piano and Violin at the height of his musical career as a pianist, composer, and conductor. When he wrote these three sonatas, Brahms had achieved acclaim beyond Germany and Austria. The pieces highlight one period of Brahms’s progression as a composer, rather than the arc of musical career.

The Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, “Regensonate” (“Rain Sonata”) was written from 1878 to 1879 and first performed in Bonn. This three-movement sonata is unified throughout by two motifs from Brahms’s lieder, “Regenlied” and “Nachklang,” Op. 59, using a cyclic form. By quoting his own melodies, both of which reference rain, Brahms was able to intentionally extend the narrative of these songs without reciting the poetry. In this sonata the violin is treated as the more expressive solo voice with the piano serving as the accompaniment.

Brahms’s Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100 was written in 1886 when he summered in Thun, Switzerland. He formally acknowledged the independence and importance of both the piano and violin in this piece, by stating that the work was a “Sonata for Piano and Violin.” The equality of the accompaniment became common in the nineteenth century as composers were writing for the piano as a second voice, rather than as accompaniment. This sonata also uses a three-movement structure. Like Sonata No. 1, Brahms references his vocal music “Wie Melodien zieht es mir leise durch den Sinn,” “Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer,” and “Auf dem Kirchhofe” (Op. 105), which were all written during the same summer with the contralto, Hermine Spies, serving as inspiration. Brahms also includes a quotation of his song, “Meine liebe ist grün” (Op. 63), a setting with poetry written by Felix Schumann (1854–1879), the son of Robert and Clara Schumann. By citing these four works, Brahms shares his own music, but also celebrates artists who inspired him musically.

The last sonata, Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 was composed between 1886 and 1888 and dedicated to Hans von Bülow (1830–1894), a virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. Unlike the earlier two sonatas, this piece is written in a four-movement, symphonic structure. The first movement, in sonata-allegro form, begins with two divergent themes echoed by both the violin and piano, as they play in an antagonistic style, again reinforcing the independence of the two voices. By contrast from the emotive inner movements, the fourth movement is the most virtuosic and begins with a tarantella-like style that eventually ends in a frenzied conflict between the piano and violin.

The first two sonatas, with their quotations of Brahms’s vocal music, both exhibit a lyrical style. As Brahms was comfortable writing vocal music from lieder for a soloist to large-scale choral works, these pieces reflect a blend of his vocal and chamber music styles. The third sonata is not overtly self-referential nor does it imitate his vocal musical style. Instead, it relies on a more symphonic and orchestral influence that honors the strengths and limitations of the instruments.

- By Meredith C. Graham