César FRANCK (1822-1890) Violin Sonata in A [27:33]
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Violin Sonata in G minor [12:34]
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937) Violin Sonata in G [17:57]
Shlomo Mintz (violin), Yefim Bronfman (piano)
rec. June 1985, Theatre La Musica, La Chaux-De-Fonds, Switzerland.
Licensed from Deutsche Grammophon GMBH 1986
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94160 [58.04] 
What a joy – three of the greatest violin sonatas in the repertoire on a single
disc! As soon as you start it playing the room fills with the most sensuous,
lush and fabulous music. That remains the case until the final note of the
final piece. The better you know the works the more exciting it is because
you are waiting for theme after theme to emerge, themes you know so well and
eagerly anticipate.
César Franck wrote his violin sonata, his only one, in 1886 and dedicated
it to Eugène Ysaÿe on the occasion of his marriage. He actually presenting
it to him at his wedding breakfast and the great Belgian violinist could not
resist giving an impromptu performance there and then. It remained a favourite
of his and has become a worthy member of the great pantheon of the violin
repertoire. I’ve always felt that Franck has been undeservedly neglected.
It is such a shame that he never wrote a violin concerto for although there
is some doubt that he could play the instrument he was certainly a master
of invention and improvisation. Such was his genius for harmony that the violin
part in the sonata is truly wondrous and beautiful. The role of the piano
is not one of pure accompaniment; instead it plays a major part in introducing
themes and setting out to explore other melodies of its own whilst the violin
improvises on the theme first introduced by the piano. That is how the work
begins: with the merest hint of the melody from the piano that the violin
then expands. Each cell is in fact a variation of the initial opening theme
with the subtlest of changes. This approach makes for a fascinating and ultimately
satisfying whole. The liner-notes set out an incredibly interesting point:
that the final movement, the main subject of which directly grows out of a
development of the work’s opening theme, involves “the most famous canonic
treatment of a theme since the time of J.S. Bach”. What greater praise can
there be than that?
Whilst Franck’s sonata was written four years before his death Debussy’s was
finished only one year before his. His cancer prevented him from undertaking
active service during the First World War so he threw himself into expressing
patriotic fervour through his art. His scheme was to create a set of six sonatas
using different combinations of instruments and culminating in one using all
the instruments deployed in the first five. In the event he completed only
three: the cello sonata (1915), the sonata for flute, viola and harp (1915)
and the present sonata for violin and piano of October 1916 and February and
March 1917. His very last public performance was its premiere. He signed them
all off “Claude Debussy, musicien français”. He composed the finale first.
The path to it may be novel but could be said to be a voyage of discovery
for the composer and listener alike. Who knows how different it may have been
if he’d “begun at the beginning”. The first movement opens with hushed notes
from the piano and is joined by the violin in a sad and wistful theme. This
is interrupted every so often by abrupt, sharp and challenging intervals.
The second movement is exactly as its marking implies “Light and fantastic”
with playful, flirtatious and sensuous spiralling series of notes that rise
and fall in the most delightful way. The finale marked “Very animated” is
just that and has some suggestions of Spain. This brings back memories of
his great homage to Spain, “Ibéria”. It involves some very fleet-fingered
dexterity on the part of the violinist and the end is reached in virtuoso
style.
Discovering that Ravel struggled with the writing of his violin sonata which
was composed over a period of four years (1923-1927) and while he was in poor
health comes as a surprise. It seems to spring out of the speakers and into
your ear in the most ‘fully formed’ way. Ravel was the pianist at its first
performance and the violin was played by his friend from student days at the
Paris Conservatoire Georges Enescu. The opening movement begins with a piano
solo joined later by the violin in an ethereal fairy-like theme. This is ‘bruised’
later with spiky rhythms and strange sounds by both instruments. These have
been likened to a croaking frog and a very apt description it is too. The
second movement entitled ‘Blues’ is a wonderful evocation of jazz. This was
something French composers in particular were fond of emulating in the 1920s
and brings to mind the “Hot Club de France”. It is easy to imagine how much
fun someone like Stephane Grapelli would have had with the piece. The finale
is a dazzling demonstration of violin virtuosity which must be a serious challenge
to even the most experienced soloist. It never lets up while working its way
at breakneck speed via some more jazz inflections to a most rapturous and
satisfying conclusion.
Shlomo Mintz and Yefim Bronfman were both born in the former USSR just one
year apart. They became Israeli citizens, Bronfman taking US citizenship in
1989. Mintz is a conductor as well as a violinist and violist. Bronfman is
a soloist as well as an accompanist. They are so perfectly matched on this
disc. It is a true partnership and results in a wonderful disc of three classic
sonatas which I have never heard bettered or enjoyed more. When you also take
account of Brilliant Classics’ bargain prices it is easy to say that record
collecting doesn’t get any better than this!
Steve Arloff
A wonderful disc of three classic sonatas which I have never heard bettered
or enjoyed more.