Composer: George Antheil
Performer: Tianwa Yang, Nicholas Rimmer
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Naxos
Catalogue: 8559937
Release: 2023
Size: 292 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano
01. I. Allegro moderato
02. II. Andante moderato
03. III. Funebre, lento espressivo
04. IV. Presto
05. Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano
06. Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano
Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano
07. I. Scherzo
08. II. Passacaglia Variations
09. III. Toccata-Rondo
New Jersey-born George Antheil traveled to Europe in 1922 determined to become ‘noted and notorious’ as a pianist-composer, soon gaining a reputation as the ‘bad boy of music’ with works such as the infamous Ballet mecanique. The first three violin sonatas come from this period, with the eclectic Violin Sonata No. 1 displaying the fiercely barbaric influence of Stravinsky, and the more jazzy No. 2 developing experiments in ‘musical cubism’. His Violin Sonata No. 3 achieves a synthesis of Stravinskian rhythms and Antheil’s more song-like tendencies, while the later No. 4 is built on Classical and Baroque models.