Mozart's Violin Sonatas
Mozart's Violin Sonatas
Gramophone Choice
Violin Sonatas – No 1, K6; No 26, K378/K317d; No 27, K379/K373a; No 36, K547
Channel Classics CCSSA21804 (77’ · DDD/DSD) Buy from Amazon
Violin Sonatas – No 2, K7; No 15, K30; No 18, K301; No 20, K303; No 33, K481
Channel Classics CCSSA22805 (73’ · DDD/DSD) Buy from Amazon
Violin Sonatas – No 3, K8; No 13, K28; No 28, K380; No 32, K454. Andante and Fugue, K402. Andante and Allegretto, K404
Channel Classics CCSSA23606 (78’ · DDD/DSD) Buy from Amazon
Violin Sonatas – No 4, K9; No 14, K29; No 19, K302; No 21, K304; No 35, K526
Channel Classics CCSSA24607 (76’ · DDD/DSD) Buy from Amazon
Violin Sonatas – No 5, K10; No 6, K11; No 7, K12; No 8, K13; No 9, K14; No 10, K15; No 11, K26. Allegro, K372. Variations on ‘La bergère Célimène’, K359. Variations on an Andantino, ‘Hélas, j’ai perdu mon amant’, K360
Rachel Podger (vn) Gary Cooper (fp) with Alison McGillivray (vc)
Channel Classics CCSSA28109 (115’ · DDD/DSD) Buy from Amazon
Both artists show an impressive command of the rhetorical 18th-century approach to phrasing and expression, giving a very lively air to the music-making – there are no flat, routine moments. The theatrical manner of No 18’s first movement inspires a wonderfully bright, colourful performance, and the contrasts inherent in the two-speed opening movement of No 20 are brilliantly realised.
Gary Cooper plays with considerable freedom, often spreading chords to soften their impact or for extra expressiveness, and ornamenting repeated passages most imaginatively. Rachel Podger doesn’t generally ornament her part; her accompaniments are unforced and flow easily, and she enjoys taking the lead, playing boldly yet with sensitivity.
Some may find the continually active style of playing a step too far, and there were places, in the first movement of No 33, for example, where a calmer, less eventful approach might have been welcome. But the great Adagio of this sonata has a beautiful sense of line and, throughout, the marriage of expertise and stylistic awareness results in truly treasurable performances.
Additional Recommendation
Violin Sonatas – No 18, K301; No 19, K302; No 20, K303. Variations on ‘La bergère Célimène’, K359. Variations on an Andantino, ‘Hélas, j’ai perdu mon amant’, K360
Duo Amadè (Catherine Mackintosh (vn) Geoffrey Govier (fp))
Chandos Chaconne CHAN0755 (66’ · DDD) Buy from Amazon
For Catherine Mackintosh and Geoffrey Govier the ‘rules’ of historically informed performance have become second nature; we get the impression they’re playing for sheer enjoyment of the music. All the distinctive moments are appreciated and given due emphasis but in a spontaneous way, the interpretative points never going beyond what musicians with good rapport might do on the spur of the moment. Yet it’s obvious that Govier and Mackintosh are careful, as well as spirited, interpreters. The recorded sound and balance are excellent, and they artfully control their dynamics so that principal and subsidiary lines are clearly distinguished.
The concluding Rondo of K302 contains many octave passages shared by piano and violin; here, with precise matching of tone colour, articulation and volume, Govier and Mackintosh turn what might seem like a rare lapse of Mozartian imagination into a delightful colouristic device. In the first movement of this sonata they make the most of the quasi-orchestral writing, with its pulsating crescendos, horn imitations and tremolando effects. Colourful in a different way is the minor section in K301’s finale, where the con sordino piano’s soft quality perfectly supports the poised violin melody.
You may wonder whether to favour Duo Amadè or the impressive Podger/Cooper team (see above). The latter mix into their programmes the juvenile works from the 1760s; but if you are most interested in the great series of works starting with K301, Duo Amadè may suit you better.
