Tag Archives: classical-music

Niccolo Paganini: Sonata Concertata Op.61 for Guitar and Violin: Rondeau

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Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840)

Niccolò Paganini is one of the most famous violin virtuosos of all time. His compositions and playing style made a major impact on modern violin playing. He is best known today for his 24 Caprices for Unaccompanied Violin which are some of the most difficult pieces ever written for the violin.

A little known fact about Paganini is that he was not only a violin virtuoso but also a guitarist. Paganini used his knowledge of guitar techniques such as arpeggios, triple stops, and pizzicato and expanded the technical capabilities of the violin by incorporating these techniques into his violin etudes and concertos. During his concerts he often played both the violin and guitar. Sometimes he played the guitar as a soloist, and other times he played it in duet with another instrument. Niccolò Paganini composed a lot of music for violin and guitar duet. He famously did a tour where he played several of his violin/guitar pieces as the violinist with a guitarist, and also toured playing several of his violin/guitar pieces as the guitarist with another violinist. These pieces, unlike several of his 24 Caprices for unaccompanied violin and concerto movements, are very tuneful and pleasant to listen to. They are not screechy, scratchy and shrill like some of the Paganini pieces violin virtuosos often play.

Gil Shaham (1971 -)

Gil Shaham is a world renowned violin virtuoso known for his impeccable musicianship and fabulous playing technique. He is in great demand all over the world as a soloist and recitalist, and has appeared in concert with many of the world’s great orchestras.

Göran Söllscher (1955 -)

Göran Söllscher is a world renowned classical guitar virtuoso who has a very wide ranging repertoire. He plays everything from J.S. Bach to music by the Beatles.

In this recording, violinist Gil Shaham and guitarist Göran Söllscher play a movement from Paganini’s Sonata Concertata in A Major Op.61 for Guitar and Violin. This is the Rondeau from that sonata, which is a lively little piece. This recording is from Shaham and Söllscher’s album entitled “Paganini for Two.” Enjoy.

Franz Schubert: Seligkeit, D. 433

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Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer who lived during the late classical and early romantic eras. He wrote chamber music, piano music, symphonies, operas, but it is for his around 600 lieder (art songs) that he is best known. For those songs Schubert used poems written by the top poets of his time. He not only composed beautiful melodies, but also wrote piano accompaniments that were very ingenious in the way they helped to tell the story behind the poems.

Here is one of Schubert’s most beloved art songs called Seligkeit (which means bliss). This is a lively charming little waltz tune. In this recording it is sung by Soprano Kathleen Battle and accompanied on the piano by James Levine. On the homepage of my website I have put a link where you can purchase my arrangement of this song for piano solo. Enjoy.

Brahms Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2

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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Johannes Brahms was a German Romantic composer, pianist, and conductor. He wrote solo piano music, chamber music, symphonnies, piano concertos, a requiem, and organ works. Some of his first compositions were written for the pipe organ. Brahms had a dream of becoming an organ virtuoso, but abandoned that idea because he struggled to play the organ well. Instead, Brahms became a piano virtuoso. He gave the premiere performances of his piano concertos. Brahms music is full of various rhythms, meters, and counterpoint. His introduction to Hungarian and gypsy folk music at a young age influenced his compositional style, and explains his fascination with irregular rhythms and use of rubato (robbed time) in his music. Brahms’ music was traditional in the sense that he used traditional classical forms when writing his music. His music was a complete contrast to the bombastic, showy “modern” music of the time such as that of Franz Liszt. Liszt apparently thought that Brahms’ music was too “hygienic”, and Brahms disapproved of Liszt’s music, apparently falling asleep during one of Liszt’s piano recitals during a performance Liszt gave of his b minor piano sonata. 

Julius Katchen (1926-1969)

Julius Katchen was an American pianist who is especially well known for his recordings of Johannes Brahms’ piano music. He made his debut performance when he was 10 years old, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor. Conductor Eugene Ormandy heard about young Julius and invited him to play in New York with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Julius Katchen studied music with his grandparents Mandell and Rosalie Svet until he turned 14. His grandparents taught piano at the Moscow and Warsaw Conservatories. In 1947 Katchen toured Europe and moved to Paris, France. He died of cancer at the age of 42 in 1969.

Julius Katchen’s solo piano recordings of the works of Johannes Brahms are very popular among pianists, and those recordings are often described as one of the best recordings of Brahms’ piano works. 

In this recording, Julius Katchen plays Brahms’ Intermezzo Op. 118, No.2 from his Op. 118 six pieces. I hope that you enjoy this beautiful piano piece.