Czech Chamber Music Society • Matoušek, Sekera

Johannes Brahms composed his first sonata for violin and piano (Op. 78) in 1878, the second (Op. 100) eight years later. Both are written in a major key and both radiate joy and happiness throughout. Brahms’s last violin sonata, Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3, Op. 108, in D minor, is markedly different, which is audible from the very outset of the introductory movement. Of particular interest in the development section is the pedal point, sustained for over 40 bars, above which the first and second subjects contend and wildly explode. The second movement, featuring a gentle, engrossing melody, is the very opposite of the introduction, yet it is evident that the tranquillity is just temporary. The third, scherzo, movement may be characterised as “nervous”, with its accumulated unrest venting in the thunderous finale. Brahms’s third violin sonata is far from being intimately lyrical, which usually applies to compositions of this type, and when it comes to the technical requirements placed on the performers, it is clearly a concert piece. Dedicated to the pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow, it premiered on 21 December 1888 in Budapest, with Jenő Hubay (1858–1937) playing the violin and Brahms on the piano. The programme of the concert also included Brahms’s String Quartet in G major and songs, which were performed by the Czech tenor Gustav Walter. According to the press reports, the audience responded with standing ovations and the slow movement of the violin sonata had to be repeated.