French Violin Sonatas Thomas Albertus Irnberger & Michael Korstick

• Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924): Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13:
• 1 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: I - Allegro molto 09:24
• 2 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: II - Andante 06:58
• 3 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: III - Allegro vivo 04:07
• 4 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: IV - Allegro quasi presto 05:27
• Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in E minor, Op. 108:
• 5 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in E minor, Op. 108: I - Allegro non troppo 09:05
• 6 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in E minor, Op. 108: II - Andante 08:11
• 7 Fauré: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in E minor, Op. 108: III - Final. Allegro non troppo 07:21
• Romance pour violon et piano op. 28:
• 8 Fauré: Romance pour violon et piano op. 28 05:59
• Andante pour violon et piano op. 75:
• 9 Fauré: Andante pour violon et piano op. 75 04:59
• Sicilienne pour violoncelle/violon et piano op. 78:
• 10 Fauré: Sicilienne pour violoncelle/violon et piano op. 78 04:02
• Berceuse pour violon et piano op. 16:
• 11 Fauré: Berceuse pour violon et piano op. 16 03:36
• Olivier Messiaen (1908 - 1992): Thème et variations pour violon et piano:
• 12 Messiaen: Thème et variations pour violon et piano 09:50
• Guillaume Lekeu (1870 - 1894): Sonata for Piano and Violin:
• 13 Lekeu: Sonata for Piano and Violin: I - Très modéré – vif et passionné 12:10
• 14 Lekeu: Sonata for Piano and Violin: II - Très lent 10:09
• 15 Lekeu: Sonata for Piano and Violin: III - Très animé 09:24
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Sonata for Violin and Piano:
• 16 Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Piano: I - Allegretto 08:22
• 17 Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Piano: II - Blues: Moderato 05:40
• 18 Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Piano: III - Perpetuum mobile: Allegro 03:55
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Sonata for Violin and Piano:
• 19 Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano: I - Allegro con fuoco 06:42
• 20 Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano: II - Intermezzo: Très lent et calme 06:20
• 21 Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano: III - Presto tragico 05:21
• Maurice Ravel: Deux mélodies hébraïques:
• 22 Ravel: Deux mélodies hébraïques: I. Kaddisch (pour violon et piano) 04:46
• Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré. Simplice:
• 23 Ravel: Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré. Simplice 02:53
• Total Runtime 02:34:41

Info for French Violin Sonatas

This double album explores ‘paths into Impressionism’: starting with the two important sonatas for violin and piano by Gabriel Fauré, the first of which was already described as a masterpiece by Camille Saint-Saëns, and four other short pieces by Fauré, the great Salzburg violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger and the German pianist Michael Korstick, who is already very familiar with the French idiom through many of his own recordings, present further works from the French and Belgian repertoire in their usual masterly and spirited interpretations: the sonata by Guillaume Lekeu, who died at an early age, which was commissioned and premièred by Eugène Ysaÿe, and Maurice Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano. The sonata by Guillaume Lekeu, who died young and was commissioned and premiered by Eugène Ysaÿe, and Maurice Ravel's sonata (with a blues as the middle movement), characterised by Ravel's view that violin and piano were fundamentally incompatible. The resulting manifold parallel developments and bitonal frictions create specific stimuli, without the music being the least bit disjointed. Ravel's ‘Kaddish’ and the ‘Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré’, dedicated to his teacher, can also be heard, as well as the sonata by Francis Poulenc, written in collaboration with Ginette Neveu and dedicated posthumously to Federico García Lorca, and the fascinating work ‘Thème et variations’ by Olivier Messiaen, which he dedicated to his first wife, a violinist, and which still contains many impressionistic elements.

Thomas Albertus Irnberger, violin
Michael Korstick, piano

Thomas Albertus Irnberger
born in Salzburg, is among Austria’s leading violinists. The German specialist press wrote: “like hardly any other young artist in his field, in recent years Irnberger has secured himself a leading position amongst Europe’s violinist elite.”

At the age of 15 in the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels he celebrated a debut that attracted widespread attention as the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

Since then Thomas Albertus Irnberger has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in major concert halls in Europe, Israel and in Asia, for instance in the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Beethovenhalle in Bonn, the “Glocke” in Bremen, the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Stadthalle in Karlsruhe, the Meistersingerhalle Nuremberg, the Liederhalle Stuttgart, the Fairfield Hall London, the Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, the Henry Crown Auditorium, Jerusalem, the Rebecca Crown Auditorium, Jerusalem, the Heichal HaTarbut, Rishon LeZion, the Théatre des Champs-Elysées, Paris, the Casals Hall, Tokyo and in the Musikverein in Vienna.

He has been a guest at renowned international festivals such as for example, the “Festivals internationales de Violon – Signé Ivry Gitlis” in France, the Mahler-Festival Toblach/Dobbiaco, the Weilburger Schlosskonzerte, the Menuhin Festival Blonay, the Karel Halír Festival Prague, the Bruckner Fest Linz etc.

At the age of 17 his debut double CDs featuring works by Hindemith, Debussy, Enescu, Paganini, Kreisler, Fauré and Elgar was released by Pan Classics and received excellent critiques in the specialist press in which his “brilliant technical ability combined with a mature creative power and sophisticated sound”, his “differentiated tone colours”, and his “assured feeling for style” were singled out for praise.

In 2004 he signed an exclusive contract with the established Vienna label Gramola and built up a notable and much acclaimed discography. In 2022 this artist will present his 62nd CD recording.

His recordings have regularly been the recipients of prizes and top rankings from the international press:

American Record Guide – Critic’s Choice, Supersonic Award – Luxembourg, Opus dʼor – Paris, Choc de musique –Paris , top recording on several occasions (10 stars) at Klassik heute – Germany, 5 stars in Ensemble Magazine – Germany, several recommendations by Crescendo magazine – Germany, nomination for the Amadeus Classic Award 2006, Strad Selection – London, Gramophone recommendation – London, Oe1-CD of the Day and of the Month, Oe1 Pasticcio Prize, CD des Tages plus at Radio Stephansdom (Radio Klassik), Radio-Bremen recommendation, Grand prix du disque – honorary diploma Franz Liszt 2012, ION Arts Washington “10 worldʼs best classic CDs 2011”, Fanfare Magazine recommendations – New York, American Record Review – Recommendations, The Record Geijutsu – Tokyo etc …CD of the week at the Bayrischer Rundfunk, MDR – Figaro, SWR and WDR, Radio Toscana and Radio Bolzano etc …

His regular chamber music partners include such noted figures as Paul Badura-Skoda, Jörg Demus, Michael Korstick, David Geringas, Barbara Moser, Pavel Kašpar and Edoardo Torbianelli. Since 2008 Thomas Albertus Irnberger has devoted himself to research into and the rediscovery of “ostracised composers” and in Israel he played the first performance of the violin concerto by Hans Gál. Enthusiastic critics wrote in this regard: “Music that represents a revelation”. A further focal point of his work together with Barbara Moser is the wide field of music by female composers which, unjustly, does not yet enjoy the status it deserves.

Booklet for French Violin Sonatas