Three Sonatas for Violin & Fortepiano, Op. 1b
Joseph Bologne
Olde Focus Recordings FCR923 (newfocusrecordings.com)
Listen
Sonata in B-Flat Major for Violin & Fortepiano, Op. 1b, G.076: I. Allegro - Listen on YouTube
Sonata in A Major for Violin & Fortepiano, Op. 1a, G.077: I. Allegro moderato - Listen on YouTube
Sonata in G Minor for Violin & Fortepiano, Op. 1a, G.078: II. Rondo gracioso - Listen on YouTube
Read the Review
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Three Sonatas for Violin & Fortepiano, Op.1b, featuring violinist Andrew McIntosh and fortepianist Steven Vanhauwaert is another COVID lockdown product (Olde Focus Recordings FCR923 newfocusrecordings.com).
In 2020 McIntosh and Vanhauwaert read through the violin sonatas of Bologne to pick one to film and became so enamoured of them that they decided to record all three for an album. Published in 1781 at the height of Bologne’s career they are charming and not insubstantial works, full of late 18th-century elegance.
Each of the sonatas – No.1 in B-flat Major, No.2 in A Major and No.3 in G Minor – has two movements, with an opening Allegro and a gentler second movement. Dynamics and articulations in the printed edition are minimal and often inconsistent, with the duo here consequently employing ornamentation consistent with the style of the period in excellent performances.
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