Robert Schumann - Violin Sonatas (Isabelle Faust; Silke Avenhaus)

Information

Composer: Robert Schumann

• Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 121
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, WoO 2

Isabelle Faust, violin

Silke Avenhaus, piano

Date: 2000

Label: CPO

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Review

These performances are absolutely stunning, so much so that a reappraisal of Schumann’s Violin sonatas is in order. What once sounded like pre-Brahmsian music (as presented by Ara Malikian and Serouj Kradjian on Hänssler Classic), with its harmonic exploration and varied moods, is here revealed as the full-bodied passion of Schumann at his most impetuous. (It’s interesting to note that these two women–violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Silke Avenhaus–come up with far more aggressive and masculine interpretations than do the two men on the Hänssler disc.)

From the urgent opening of Sonata No. 1, Faust mounts the music as if it were a wild stallion, riding out the first movement’s emotional twists and turns with a sure grip on its technical challenges. Avenhaus is right there with her, riding side saddle, making the two a formidable team. Faust pulls back slightly for Schumann’s big, overtly symphonic Sonata No. 2, especially in the dreamy adagio where she achieves a particularly beautiful tone quality. But it’s back to flame throwing for the No. 3 (a work that went unpublished until 1956), making for a powerful conclusion to the program. CPO’s sound is more compact than Hänssler’s (with its large hall acoustic), an effect that brings the duo vividly into your listening room. If you’re at all curious about Schumann’s violin sonatas (and you should be), this disc demands your investigation.

— Victor Carr Jr

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Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, and left an array of acclaimed music in virtually all the forms then known. Schumann's published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840; he later composed works for piano and orchestra; many Lieder (songs for voice and piano); four symphonies; an opera; and other orchestral, choral, and chamber works. Schumann suffered from a lifelong mental disorder, and died in 1856 without having recovered from his illness.

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Isabelle Faust (born 19 March 1972) is a German violinist. She trained with Christoph Poppen and Dénes Zsigmondy. After winning the Paganini Competition, she moved to Paris and began performing regularly with the world's major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 Faust was appointed professor of violin at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1996, she has performed on the "Sleeping Beauty" Stradivarius violin of 1704. Her numerous recordings have been praised by critics and received the Diapason d'Or, the Gramophone Award, the Choc de l'année, and other prizes.

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Silke Avenhaus (born 1969 in Karlsruhe) is a German pianist. She studied at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts and Indiana University, as well as with György Sebök and András Schiff. She has performed internationally at prestigious venues and festivals and collaborated with renowned artists and orchestras. Avenhaus has premiered works by contemporary composers and released over 40 recordings for major labels, earning accolades including the Diapason d'Or and a Grammy nomination. She holds an honorary professorship at the Munich University and actively promotes music education and social initiatives.

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