Three Dutch Violin Sonatas

[Mark Thomas]

Violin Sonatas by Leander Schlegel (1844-1913), Gerrit van Eijken (1832-1879) and Jan Brandts Buys (1868-1933), played by Bob van der Ent (violin) and René Rakier (piano), are available on a CD from the Aliud label - AL 061. The recording is also available for download here (with audio extracts).

[Alan Howe]

Very nice indeed. Can't find the CD for sale, though...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Yes, certainly one to add to the shelves - especially for the Schlegel sonata.

But I can't find the actual physical CD for sale (as opposed to a download). Ironic, because on the Aliud website they talk about preserving these sonatas on a CD so they do not become neglected.

Looks as if Aliud is distributed in the UK by Discovery. So I reckon MDT, for example, should be able to obtain the CD.

[Mark Thomas]

theclassicalshop.net's page (to which I linked) is endorsed (in capitals!) with "This product is currently only available as an mp3", although Aliud's own site advertises a 26 January release date. As you'd expect, I've gone for the download.

[eschiss1]

I quite like Brandts-Buys (based on what I've heard- thanks Matesic for recording some really interesting other chamber works of his, a quartet and a sextet, and the (literally) Pastoral flute quintet I think may have been uploaded here- not sure?) and I think I may have heard some Schlegel. Eijken I'd want to find out about then and will try to Intriguing disc - thanks!

[jerfilm]

Yes, the Brandt-Buys Flute Quintet is indeed, a lovely piece.....

J

[van der Ent]

Hello everyone

I am the violinist of this CD recording.
It's a great pleasure to read how much appreciation there is for these amazing composers.

If you would like to purchase the CD (i mean as a physical object)
send me an e-mail: info@bobvanderent.nl

regards,

Bob van der Ent

[Alan Howe]

Hi Bob,
Great to hear from you - and thanks for making this splendid CD which, by the way, appears to be an imminent (16/07) release here in the UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dutch-Violin-Sonatas-Schlegel/dp/B00BQXWGYI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372967707&sr=8-2&keywords=dutch+violin+sonatas

[matesic]

Hello Bob! I couldn't resist getting my spoke in here, because I discovered your recording online shortly after posting my own attempt at the Brandts Buys sonata on IMSLP
http://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata,_Op.26_(Brandts_Buys,_Jan)
Definitely not a "performance" (synth piano, heavily edited violin!) and no competition for your fine rendition. However, I just wondered whether your tempo for the finale is somewhat below "presto"? Perhaps the chordal writing for the piano is rather awkward.

[matesic]

Actually now I recall, I heard Bob's recording after starting mine but before posting. I pinched a few of his tempo ideas for the opening allegro...

Steve Jones

[eschiss1]

btw, links like that that end in ")" really don't work unless the ) is replaced with a %29.

[chill319]

I find the van Eijken sonata particularly appealing --  a rather advanced work, to judge from Schumann's three sonatas, written in the same half-decade.  Could forum members point me to other solo violin sonatas of merit written between 1830 and 1855?

[eschiss1]

Not unsung, but Mendelssohn's of 1838 (rediscovered by Menuhin) Will try to think of others, though... (Anton Rubinstein's 2nd violin sonata was published in 1855 so I'm guessing his first two date from the period 1830-55, since it seems unlikely he composed them in the first few months of his life (he was born in 1829). They're pretty good as I recall, anyway )

[matesic]

Sung or unsung, it's a surprisingly long fallow period that hadn't struck me before, although Schumann's first two were written in 1851, the third in 1853. I'm also intrigued by the slightly later (post Onslow and Spohr) "lost generation" in the string quartet literature (relative, of course), and the major boom that followed in the 1880's

[Mark Thomas]

Raff's dramatic Violin Sonata No.1 was written in 1854, and IMHO is the best of his five pretty impressive contributions to the genre.