From Bach to Brahms: A dialog for Violin and Piano
Monday, 21st December 2026 21:00
Curtural Center of Heraklion, Heraklion Crete, Greece
Program:
J.S. Bach - Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
v. CiacconaE. Ysaÿe - Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 27, No. 4
i. Allemanda
ii. Sarabande
iii. FinaleN. Paganini - Caprice No. 11 in C major, Op. 1F. Kreisler - Tambourin Chinois, Op. 3J. Montgomery - Rhapsody No. 2 for Solo ViolinJ. Brahms - F-A-E Sonata in C minor
iii. ScherzoL.V. Beethoven - Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2
i. Allegro con brio
ii. Adagio cantabile
iii. Scherzo. Allegro
iv. Allegro
This programme traverses different eras and aesthetic traditions of the violin repertoire, highlighting the many facets of virtuosity and musical expression.
Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 7 in A minor, Op. 23, combines drama, inner tension, rhythmic drive, and refinement, demanding from the violinist a firm articulation, precision, and a genuine musical dialogue with the piano.Paganini’s Caprice No. 11 reveals the essence of Italian virtuosity through its polyphonic writing, rapid transitions, and formidable technical demands, requiring flexibility, control, and absolute precision.The Scherzo from Brahms’s F-A-E Sonata, a work dedicated to Josef Joachim, embodies the composer’s Romantic spirit, warm melodic expression, and youthful energy. It calls for sensitivity of tone, suppleness, and a keen sense of musical dialogue.J. S. Bach’s Chaconne, one of the crowning masterpieces of the solo violin repertoire, unites polyphonic thinking, architectural rigor, and profound expressiveness. It demands maturity, intense inward concentration, mastery of phrasing, and the ability to evoke an entire musical universe through a single instrument.Montgomery’s Rhapsody No. 2 introduces a different sonic language, characterized by rhythmic vitality, lyricism, and a contemporary palette of colours. It calls upon the violinist for a vivid sense of rhythm and freedom of expression.Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois offers a brilliant, playful, and extroverted display of virtuosity, in which elegance, colourful imagination, agility, and precision combine with the composer’s unmistakable Viennese finesse.Finally, Ysaÿe’s Violin Sonata No. 4, with its intricate polyphony, intense expressiveness, and extraordinary technical demands, brings together the legacy of Bach and the virtuosity of the twentieth century. It requires complete command of the instrument, clarity, a refined understanding of polyphonic texture, a broad tonal palette, and, above all, a distinctive artistic voice.Taken as a whole, the programme unfolds as a demanding musical journey from Classical balance and Romantic expressiveness to virtuosity, polyphony, and contemporary sonic exploration. It presents the violinist with the challenge of uniting technical mastery, musical intelligence, sensitivity, intellectual concentration, and individuality in a compelling and deeply personal artistic statement.