Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12

Thomas Adès
Märchentänze

Benjamin Britten
Three Pieces from the Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 6

Sergei Prokofiev
Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94bis

Alena Baeva – violin
Vadym Kholodenko – piano

Ludwig van Beethoven published his cycle of three Violin Sonatas, Op. 12, at the beginning of 1799, dedicating it to Antonio Salieri, then the most influential musician in Vienna and later Beethoven’s teacher of composition. The Violin Sonata in D major still bears traces of the Mozartian style, yet it already opens the door to a more Romantic expression and hints at the composer’s path toward his distinctive musical language.

British composer Thomas Adès is one of the leading figures of contemporary music. His Märchentänze (2020), four “fairy-tale dances,” draw on English folk tradition and offer contrasting moods—from exuberance to lyrical reflection and mysterious poetry inspired by landscape and ancient legends.

Benjamin Britten’s early work Three Pieces from the Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 6 (1934–1935), reflects the diverse world of the interwar avant-garde, from Les Six and Stravinsky to Schoenberg. A grotesque march, a poetic lullaby, and a humorous waltz-like finale belong among the virtuosic gems of the concert repertoire.

The evening concludes with Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94bis, composed during the Second World War as a violin adaptation—at the suggestion of David Oistrakh—of the original Flute Sonata. The work is characterized by classical balance, delicacy, and an almost pastoral character.