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 (http://www.aliudrecords.com/). The recording is also available for download here (http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=AL%20061) (with audio extracts).
Very nice indeed. Can't find the CD for sale, though...
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.
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.
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!
Yes, the Brandt-Buys Flute Quintet is indeed, a lovely piece.....
J
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
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 (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)
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) (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.
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
btw, links like that that end in ")" really don't work unless the ) is replaced with a %29. :)
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?
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 :) )
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
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.
@mark reply 14: Would Raff's first violin sonata be found on the first volume of CPO's traversal?
vol. 1 of both sets, I think (cpo and Tudor).
Indeed. Personally, I'd marginally recommend the Tudor pairing of Daskalakis and Ishay because they give warmer and more romantic performances, but others may prefer the edgier dramatics of Turban and Nemtsov on cpo. Both are technically excellent and well recorded. I have both sets, and wouldn't be without either.
BTW about violin sonatas btw. 1830 and 1855, I'm surprised I forgot a "sonata" I like very much indeed- Alkan's duo.
I would have mentioned others from the period I expect I would like if I knew them (I'm not as convinced as matesic it's quite so barren a period as that) - I just don't know them yet, or very poorly. Sonatas by Ries, Kalkbrenner, Reissiger, and several others published (composed?) during this period I expect I'd probably enjoy- not the same as answering your question, though, I know. Still, do try the Alkan :)
Does this forum accept Excel graphs? Evidently not. I don't know about violin sonatas but when I roughly analysed the data for recorded string chamber music after 1800 (all the sources I could find on the web) I found that the number of composers producing pieces in any given year peaked at about 4 from 1800 to 1815, dropped to below 2 between 1845 and 1870 and increased steadily to 4 in 1880, 6 in 1900 and 8 in 1910. These of course all qualify as "sung" composers, so it might just be a function of current tastes rather than actual practice at the time. I think these trends are fascinating and might make a nice topic for someone's thesis.
I'm assuming you went by publication year btw since composition year so often has to be guessed at or is just not known, while the former can usually be estimated with more certainty (if not always as certainly as one would like, though that can be an academic consideration :) )? Or no? :) ...
Since I wasn't aiming to write a thesis I was satisfied to be within about 5 years of the actual composition date. For pieces outside the popular canon I found Ray Silvertrust's site the best guide to whether or not a piece had been commercially recorded, but didn't attempt to track down broadcasts. I did say it was rough!
Finally got hold of this CD. The Schlegel's a gorgeous late-romantic outpouring - and, by the way, it's superbly played by Bob van der Ent and René Rakier. Bob's tone is particularly ravishing throughout. This is a magnificent release.
Yes, I downloaded this one a few week's ago and it's given me lot of pleasure. For me the major hit of the three works is the earliest one. van Eijken's is an intensely dramatic piece, and a very strong and forward-looking piece for its time, I think. But Schlegel's is a real rosy-glow fin de siècle composition too, and also a great find. I'm left a bit cold by Brandts-Buys' Sonata, but it's far from being a bad piece, it just suffers slightly by comparison with the other two. All are played magnificently. Overall though, I thoroughly endorse Alan's recommendation.