Beethoven and more 2011 podcast #8: A carefree finale

Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata No. 8 in G Major for violin and piano, op. 30, No. 3: 3rd movement: Allegro vivace
Julian Rachlin, violin
Itamar Golan, piano
MP3 recorded by Deutsche Welle (DW) in the chamber music hall of the Beethoven House, Bonn, on September 19, 2011

Hungarian-American violinist Joseph Szigeti (1892-1973), known for his collaborations with Benny Goodman and Bela Bartok, came up with perhaps the best description of this sonata. Szigeti wrote that in it, the listener enters a sphere of perfection: "The radiant cheer of the first movement, the gently detached beauty of the minuet and the spirited merriness of the final rondo - it all adds up to one of the most harmonic works of the entire series."

"Almost every one of these ten violin sonatas has revolutionary characteristics," said violinist Julian Rachlin. "Starting in op. 30, Beethoven stands all of the usual traditions on their head. That is revolution. For more than fifty years, the violin had been seen just as an accompanying voice, and Beethoven infuses the instrument with its own life, plays with its colors and brings it into a real dialogue with the piano."

Author: Marita Berg / gsw
Editor: Rick Fulker