Composers of the 19th century seized upon the violin’s ability to imitate the human voice and go straight to the heart; this program also shows the influence that skillful performers had on these composers and works. From Schubert’s masterful violin-piano duo, to American Amy Beach’s soul-searching Romance dedicated to violinist Maud Powell, to Brahms’s lyrical sonata inspired by his friendship with Joseph Joachim and Clara Schumann, and closing with Mendelssohn’s sonata that went unpublished for over 100 years until its revival by Yehudi Menuhin, the soulful sound of the violin resonates throughout this program.

Program

Franz Schubert Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, D. 574, "Grand Duo"
Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 1 in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 78
Amy Beach Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23
Felix Mendelssohn Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano (rev. Menuhin) (1838, rev. 1953)

Gloria Chien, piano; Gilles Vonsattel, piano; Stella Chen, violin; Julian Rhee, violin; Arnaud Sussmann, violin