inPRIMETIME: recital 05.02.27, Violin Sonatas nos. 3, 6, 7 & 8

Four sonatas from the decisive period around 1802: the year in which Beethoven went through a deep personal crisis and in a poignant letter – the ‘Heiligenstädter Testament’ – screamed out the despair about his increasing deafness. In these sonatas, the emotional charge of Beethoven's musical vision becomes tangible. De Vioolsonate No. 3, Op. 12 still shows the formal clarity of the young composer, but does not hide his ambition. The three Violin Sonatas, Op. 30 expand the sound spectrum: lyricism, irony, and dramatic tension exist side by side. Vooral Nr. 7 in C minor – product of a period of personal crisis – lets you hear how Beethoven uses the traditional sonata model to give his inner demons free rein.