In the summer of 1886, Brahms composed his second Violin Sonata in Switzerland. Inspired by the beauty of nature, and most likely by a beautiful singer, he found melodies everywhere. “You practically step on them,” he apparently said. Long lines, beautiful themes and bursts of pain flow through his rich Violin Sonatas.
This evening, the great Swedish pianist Roland Pöntinen is seated at the piano, accompanied by Justyna Jara, associate first concertmaster of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Raised in pubs and the son of a struggling double bass player, Johannes Brahms was described as rough and unrefined. But that description is a far cry from the music he composed. With care for every phrase and a strong sense of self-critique, everything was undoubtedly thoughtfully considered, meticulously played, and perhaps also thoroughly discussed with his friend Clara Schumann, who often gave her opinions on Brahms’ music.
Her opinion was important to him. He disliked the company of talkative men and wrote that it was a waste of time; he would far prefer to play music and discuss with Clara Schumann. Or to play the Violin Sonatas for the hundredth time with his friend Joseph Joachim.
