Beethoven: Violin Sonatas, Vol. 2 Chloë Hanslip & Danny Driver

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Violin Sonata No.4 in A Minor, Op.23:
• 1 I. Presto 07:23
• 2 II. Andante scherzoso - più Allegretto 07:55
• 3 III. Allegro molto 05:10
• Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring":
• 4 I. Allegro 09:49
• 5 II. Adagio molto espressivo 05:41
• 6 III. Scherzo (Allegro molto) 01:06
• 7 IV. Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo) 06:25
• Violin Sonata No.7 in C Minor, Op. 30/2:
• 8 I. Allegro con brio 07:37
• 9 II. Adagio cantabile 07:41
• 10 III. Scherzo (Allegro) 03:46
• 11 IV. Finale (Allegro) 05:29
• Total Runtime 01:08:02

Info zu Beethoven: Violin Sonatas, Vol. 2

Beethoven's op12 set of three violin sonatas had been praised for their technical prowess, but criticised for the abrupt changes in mood, one critic saying (1799) he felt as if he was starting out on a pleasant stroll in the country with a friend, only to end up entangled in bushes and brambles, to return home in a bad mood. Beethoven who was notoriously touchy when it came to such reviews, responded with two sonatas that could not be more extreme in character. The 4th, has been described as a wayward stepchild among his ten violin sonatas is an extraordinary work that would drive our confused critic well and truly further into the brambles! The first movement would usually be found as a finale, and in place of a slow movement is a jokey 'scherzoso'. The finale has the characteristics of an opening movement. It's sister work is the famous 'Spring' sonata – a work of grace and beauty and one of the most popular of all violin sonatas. The 7th sonata, one of a group of three in the op30 set is characterised by Beethoven's stormy and dramatic C minor mood, in stark contrast to its op30 siblings Chloë Hanslip and Danny Driver have received critical acclaim for their musical partnership both on stage and in the studio. Gramophone described Volume 1 of their Beethoven Sonatas RCD1010 as 'engaging and accomplished performances...they create a world in which you want to spend time'

Chloë Hanslip, violin
Danny Driver, piano

Chloë Hanslip
(b. 1987) has already established herself as an artist of distinction on the international stage. Prodigiously talented, she made her BBC Proms debut in 2002 and her US concerto debut in 2003, and has performed at major venues in the UK (Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall), Europe (Vienna Musikverein, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, Paris Louvre and Salle Gaveau, St Petersburg Hermitage) as well as Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Arts Space in Tokyo and the Seoul Arts Centre.

Her performances have included the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Mozart Players, Lahti Symphony, Moscow State Symphony, Norwegian Radio, Real Filharmonia Galicia, Vienna Tonkünstler Orchester, Hamburg Symfoniker, Czech National Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Orchestra Regionale Toscana, Helsingborg Symphony, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. Further afield her engagements include the Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, Malaysia Philharmonic, Adelaide Symphony, Auckland Philharmonina and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Andrew Davis, Mariss Jansons, Paavo Järvi, Charles Dutoit, Michail Jurowski and Jeffrey Tate.

Chloë records for Hyperion and her first release on the label featured Violin Concertos by Vieuxtemps (Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra/Brabbins). Her CD of York Bowen Sonatas with Danny Driver received recommendations from Gramophone (Choice) and The Strad and her other Hyperion recordings include Glazunov/Schoeck Concertos and Medtner Violin Sonatas. Other notable recordings included Bruch Concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra (Warner Classics) winning her the Echo Klassik Award for 'Best Newcomer' (2002) and 'Young British Classical Performer' at the Classical BRITS (2003), and a highly acclaimed recording of John Adams Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Slatkin.

Hanslip's wide-ranging repertoire spans Concertos by Britten, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Brahms, Korngold, Barber, Bernstein, Delius, Mendelssohn, Bruch, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Walton and Sibelius as well as contemporary works by Adams, Glass, Corigliano, Nyman, Huw Watkins, Peter Maxwell Davies and Brett Dean. A committed chamber musician, she is a regular participant in Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove and at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. Her recital partners include Angela Hewitt, Danny Driver, Igor Tchetuev and Charles Owen.

Highlights of the 2014-15 season include recitals in London (Wigmore Hall) and Tokyo, and concerto performances with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Czech National Symphony, Bern Symphony, Bremen Philharmonic, Duisburg Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and in the USA with Phoenix and Alabama Symphony Orchestras.

Chloë studied for ten years with the Russian pedagogue Zakhar Bron. She has also worked with Christian Tetzlaff, Robert Masters, Ida Haendel, Salvatore Accardo, and Gerhard Schulz.

She plays a Guarneri del Gesu 1737.

Danny Driver
The international critical acclaim that Danny Driver’s recordings and performances have generated over recent years has cemented his reputation as one of Britain’s most respected and versatile pianists. Described variously as ‘bold, exuberant and precise’ [The Guardian] and of ‘impeccable technique and musicianship’ [Gramophone], he has earned two Gramophone Award nominations, a National Public Radio Top 10 Award and, most recently, Limelight Magazine’s Instrumental Recording of the Year 2014 Award for his recording of Handel’s Eight Great Suites.

Danny Driver’s recent concerto appearances have included the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Minnesota Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North, and Hong Kong Pro Arte. He has appeared twice at the BBC Proms, most recently with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Charles Dutoit. Other distinguished conductors with whom Driver has performed include Andrew Litton, Richard Farnes, Martyn Brabbins, Rebecca Miller, Rory Macdonald, Christopher Warren-Green, James Macmillan, and Bramwell Tovey; during 2016-17 he will perform together with Alexander Shelley and Mario Venzago.

Recitals feature prominently in Danny Driver’s schedule of engagements; he has appeared regularly at Wigmore Hall, most recently in a BBC Radio 3 live broadcast recital (Handel, Adès, Beethoven, C P E Bach, Schumann), in Germany, Italy, Israel, Sweden, the USA, China, and at many major venues in the UK. Highlights of Driver’s 2016-17 schedule will include début performances at the Southbank Centre’s International Piano Series (London), Music Toronto, the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, and the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris.

As a chamber musician Danny Driver has appeared at the Australian Chamber Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, Birdfoot Music Festival, Eilat Chamber Music Festival, Cayman Arts Festival, and Stockholm’s Festival O/Modernt. He collaborates regularly with violinist Chloë Hanslip, with whom he will perform extensively in Ireland, the UK, and Italy during April/May 2016, and with baritone Christian Immler, with whom he has given broadcast recitals for Deutschland Radio and Radio France. Driver’s long-standing partnership with ‘cellist Oliver Coates recently included performance of Morton Feldman’s Patterns in a Chromatic Field at King’s Place and Adès’ Lieux Retrouvés.

Driver’s fruitful relationship with London-based Hyperion Records has spawned a thoroughly acclaimed discography of works by C P E Bach, Handel, Schumann, and Balakirev, and also highly praised interpretations of neglected British composers such York Bowen, Benjamin Dale and Erik Chisholm, all of whom he has championed in concert as well as on record. A second contribution to Hyperion’s epic Romantic Piano Concerto Series, featuring works by Amy Beach, Dorothy Howell and Cécile Chaminade, is due for release in October 2016.

Danny Driver trained with Alexander Kelly and Piers Lane whilst studying at Cambridge University, with Irina Zaritskaya at the Royal College of Music in London, and completed his studies privately with Maria Curcio. As a student he won numerous awards including the Royal Over-Seas League Keyboard Competition and the title of BBC Radio 2 Young Musician of the Year.

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