Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 03/16/2016, uploaded on 12/28/2016

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Violin Sonata in G minor by Claude Debussy had been intended by the composer to be the third in a series of six sonatas for various instruments, but he was sadly only able to complete three before his death in 1918. The Violin Sonata clearly expresses the breadth of imagination, spontaneity, and sensitivity for which Debussy’s music came to be known. It begins with two chords in the piano, almost posing a question. The violin introduces the main theme, leading the music into an accelerating current, which ebbs and flows throughout the movement. The second movement is more light-hearted than the first, with comical timing and irony between the two instruments. The final movement reintroduces the first movement’s theme, this time softer, as if in a dream. It is replete with sudden mood changes, finally leading to the sonata’s exhilarating ending.    Vincent Meklis

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.