59.00 PLN

CD:

Nr kat.: CDS654
Label  : Dynamic (Italia)

Prokofiev composed only two Sonatas for violin and piano, the betterknown of which is unquestionably the Sonata n° 2 in D Major opus 94a. Unlike the extroverted, festive opus 94a, the Sonata n° 1 in F minor opus 80, written between 1938 and 1946, shows a sombre character. In 1941, Prokofiev was transferred from Moscow to Alma-Ata, where he also began to work on the composition of a Sonata in D major for flute and piano. In this Sonata the composer sought to achieve a sort of distillation of his musical art, blending "lyrical, classical, modernist and motor" elements, as he himself would later declare. The Sonata in D major for flute and piano opus 94 was first performed in Moscow on 7th December 1943. One of the leading figures of the musical life of Russia of the day was present in the hall, the violinist David Oistrakh. Enthusiastic and impulsive, and a good friend of Prokofiev's, Oistrakh was immediately struck by the beauty of the Sonata, and immediately set about convincing the composer to write an arrangement for violin and piano. In its new version, the Sonata n° 2 in D major opus 94a was first performed at the Moscow Conservatory on 17th June 1944, performed by its dedicatee, David Oistrakh, and his faithful accompanist, the pianist Lev Oborin. The violin version soon matched and even surpassed the popularity of the flute version becoming one of the most frequently performed chamber works of the twentieth century. The catalogue of Prokofiev's works for violin and piano is completed by the delightful 5 Melodies opus 35b. Here again we have a transcription of a work initially conceived for voice and piano, the 5 Songs without words opus 35 written in 1923 for the soprano Nina Koshits. The five pieces are dedicated to three different violinists: the first, third and fourth are dedicated to Pawel Kochanski, the second to Cecilia Hansen and the fifth is dedicated to Joseph Szigeti.