César Franck's Sonata for Piano and Violin is one of the most treasured works in the violin repertoire, a masterpiece of cyclic form with a gracefulness and expressive force almost paradigmatic for the age of musical Romanticism. This work was composed in 1886 and was dedicated to the Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye.After Franck's death in 1890 the original publisher of the Sonata, the…

Arr. Rob Wiffin. Par RAMEAU JEAN-PHILIPPE. Il est regrettable de constater que le compositeur français Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) est essentiellement reconnu de nos jours comme un influent théoricien de la musique. Pourtant, il fut considéré, en son siècle, comme un grand compositeur au style harmonique et mélodique très novateur. En 1725, suite à la venue à Paris de deux Indiens de La Louis…

Par KRZANOWSKI ANDRZEJ. Despite the rich palette of colours and articulation, Relief IX is a static work, and its slowed narrative creates the impression of being stretched out over time, thereby leading the listener into an unreal, unfamiliar world. This composition has often been described as a surrealistic and contemplative work. As Andrzej Chlopecki wrote: ‘[Relief IX] directs its expression t…

Tragédie-opéra Drame héroïque en trois actes. Par GLUCK CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD. Christoph Willibald Gluck’s most popular opera “Orphée et Euridice” was performed in 1774 in Paris to sensational success. This new adaption followed the original Viennese version with Italian text that was first performed in 1762 under the direction of the composer in the Burgtheater. For the Paris version Gluck changed …

A hit every time it's heard, this piece, with a manageable level of difficulty, displays fireworks, beautiful melodies and brilliant idiomatic figurations which will find an enthusiastic audience at every pupil's audition. / Violon Et Piano

Par CHENIER CLIFTON. This collection of 15 accordion arrangements of tunes by Clifton Chenier (1925-1987) clearly demonstrates why he is known as the undisputed King of Zydeco music. Written for the piano accordion as opposed to the Cajun button accordion, all of the selections in this book are transcribed from Chenier's 1965-1987 recordings on Arhoolie Records. Dix Bruce contributes a fine essay …

Par MOZART WOLFGANG AMADEUS. Mozart composed the majority of his works for solo String Instruments and Orchestra during the years 1773 to 1779. Especially important in this context are the years 1773 and 1775, which witnessed the creation of the five concertos for Violin and Orchestra as well as several single movements for the same scoring. The reasons for this flourish of activity in this domain…

\'A Cry against Facism\'. Par DE MEIJ JOHAN. The Painted Bird, the controversial novel by Jerzy Kosinski (1933-1991), tells the story of a Jewish boy during World War II. For his safety, the child was sent to the Polish countryside by his parents. The title refers to a barbaric tradition among Polish farmers. The wings of a captured bird were painted in bright colors, after which the animal was re…

Haydn 'Symphonie des adieux' est une des oeuvres les plus jouées du répertoire symphonique. Le titre populaire ne découle pas de l'auteur, mais se réfère au mouvement final, à l'issue de laquelle (Adagio) les musiciens arrêter de jouer l'un après l'autre, ne laissant que deux violons à la fin des travaux. Selon une anecdote, sortie des musiciens était un moyen de faire référence aux exigences du t…

Par SPOHR LOUIS. Louis Spohr?s technically, extremely demanding concertos have long been part of clarinetists? standard repertoire. Like the first clarinet concerto, this second concerto was composed for the clarinetist Johann Hermstedt, probably in the spring of 1810. Critics praised the concerto at its premiere, stating that it was ?undeniably one of the most accomplished works of art of its kin…