Janine's Beethoven: alle vioolsonates met Denis Kozhukhin (deel 1)

Janine Jansen and Denis Kozhukhin

Many musicians are commemorating the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death at the Concertgebouw this year. For instance, the Belcea Quartet is performing all of Beethoven's string quartets, and Ronald Brautigam is taking a deep dive into the piano oeuvre of this giant. Janine Jansen and Denis Kozhukhin, seasoned chamber music partners, are also paying tribute to the Viennese classic: all of his violin sonatas will be performed over three evenings. 'A perfect pair,' says Bachtrack of the Netherlands' most celebrated violinist in combination with one of its favorite chamber music partners. Together, the violinist and pianist have already toured many venues worldwide and surprised their listeners with musical highlights. Now it is Beethoven's turn.

Beethoven's Violin Sonatas 1, 2, 4 and 6

Between 1779 and 1812, Beethoven wrote ten violin sonatas. Later he abandoned the genre, but even in his earliest sonatas, his own voice is already audible. The First and Second Violin Sonatas are dedicated to his teacher Salieri. They sound anything but academic; they give the violin a very independent, expressive voice. The short Fourth from 1801 has a strikingly dark atmosphere, perhaps caused by Beethoven's developing hearing problems. And in 1802, the year of a nearly suicidal depression, he composed the light and elegant Sixth Violin Sonata . In short: Beethoven's personal circumstances had an influence, but his individuality always remained audible.