Tag Archives: violin

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.

Wojciech Kilar: Waltz from the Promised Land

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Wojciech Kilar (1932-2013)

Wojciech Kilar was a Polish composer who composed classical music and film scores. He is best known for his film scores for films such as Dracula, The Ninth Gate, The Pianist, and the Portrait of a Lady among other films. Kilar won many awards for his film scores, including the score for the film Ziemia obiecana (The Promised Land), and an award for his film score for Dracula, his most successful film score.

Katica Illényi ( 1968 – )

Katica Illényi is a Hungarian violinist, theremin player, singer, and dancer. She is a classically trained musician, but also plays folk music, klezmer music, and gypsy jazz. Katica has a very popular YouTube channel, and has recorded many albums including: Tango Classic, Theremin Christmas, and Reloaded Jazz Violin. In this YouTube video, Katica Illényi (violin) with Rita Termes (piano) play a beautiful violin/piano arrangement by Rezső Ott of Wojciech Kilar’s Waltz from the film Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana). Enjoy.

Django Reinhardt plays violin and guitar

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Django Reinhardt (1910-1953)

Django Reinhardt was a gypsy guitarist famous for co-founding the Quintet of the Hot Club of France with jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli in 1934. He made hundreds of recordings with the Quintet. Django also recorded with saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, jazz violinist Eddie South, and lots of other jazz musicians in Europe and America.

During World War II the quintet split up. Django lived in Paris throughout the war and managed to avoid getting sent to a concentration camp. He kept on playing and recording.

Here are 4 rare Django Reinhardt recordings made in Belgium in 1942. These recordings are unusual because Django Reinhardt is accompanied by stride piano (stride piano was a form of jazz piano popular during the 1920s). Django plays solos on the guitar and violin accompanied on the piano by Ivon de Bie. He is famous for his virtuosic jazz guitar solos but violin was his first instrument. I hope that you enjoy this music.

Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion (played by the Roby Lakatos Ensemble and Frantisek Janoska)

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Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Astor Piazzolla was an Argentinian tango composer, arranger, and bandoneon virtuoso (the bandoneon is a type of accordion).  He invented a modern style of tango music called tango nuevo (a style of tango that uses elements of jazz and classical music).

Here is a tango by Piazzolla arranged for violin, piano, melodia, cymbalom, guitar, and bass by Frantisek Janoska (the pianist).  It is played by the Romani (gypsy) violinist Roby Lakatos ensemble and pianist Frantisek Janoska.  Enjoy!

Mauro Giuliani – Sonata for Violin, Cello, and Guitar in A Major

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Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)

Mauro Giuliani was an Italian composer, guitar virtuoso, cellist, and singer. He was one of the leading guitar virtuosos of the 19th century.

Giuliani taught guitar, performed on the guitar, and composed a rich and varied repertoire for the guitar. His compositions include three guitar concertos, sonatas, studies, variations, duos for guitar with flute of violin, quartets, and songs.

Here is a recording of a Sonata for Violin, Cello, and Guitar in A Major by Mauro Giuliani. It is played by Leonid Kogan (violin), Alexander Ivanov-Kramskoy (guitar), and Fyodor Lusanov (cello). Enjoy!

Catoire Elegy – Oistrach, Goldenweiser

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Georgy Catoire (1861-1926)

Georgy Catoire was a Russian composer of French descent.  He studied the piano in Berlin with Klindworth.  Catoire studied composition with Rimsky-Korsakov and Anatol Lyadov.  He was appointed as a professor to the Moscow Conservatory in 1916.  Catoire composed works for piano, orchestra, and chamber music ensembles.  He also wrote important books on harmony and musical form.

Here is a recording of a piece by Catoire called Elegy for violin and piano.  It is played by David Oistrakh (violin) and Alexander Goldenweiser (piano).

Shostakovich – Three pieces for two violins and piano op.97

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Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Soviet Russian composer, piano virtuoso, and an important figure in 20th Century music.

The Three pieces for two violins and piano, op 97 by Shostakovich come from his ‘Gadfly’ suite.  This music is beautiful and light-hearted (a complete contrast to much of his music which is dark and very dissonant).

Shostakovich was known for writing some very dark dissonant music.  His dark dissonant music reflects his feelings towards Joseph Stalin and the Soviet regime.

Here is a a recording of the three pieces for two violins and piano, op 97 from the ‘Gadfly’ suite by Shostakovich.  It is performed by Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman (two famous Israeli-American violinists), and Samuel Sanders (an American Pianist and professor at the Juilliard School of Music in New York).  Enjoy!

Felix Mendelssohn – Violin Sonata in F minor, Op. 4

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Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Felix Mendelssohn is a German 19th century composer.  Mendelssohn was a prolific composer.  He composed dramatic music, choral music, Vocal music, orchestral music, chamber music, and piano music. Today he is known among music lovers for his Violin Concerto in e minor, oratorio Elijah, Octet, Symphony no 4. ‘Italian’, and Songs without Words for piano solo.

The Violin Sonata in f minor, op.4 is one of three sonatas that Mendelssohn wrote for violin and piano.  It was written in 1823 when the composer was in his early teens.

Shlomo Mintz – violinist (1957 -) Shlomo Mintz is one of the 20th century’s greatest violinists.   He has performed with many of the great orchestras and great conductors.  He also performs quite regularly in chamber music concerts and recitals.

Paul Ostrovsky – pianist

Paul Ostrovsky has performed in many of the world’s great concert halls and has appeared at important music festivals including Tanglewood and the Salzburg Festival.

Enjoy!

Leonid Kogan – Paganini Sonata for Violin and Guitar, Op 2a

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Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840)

Italian violinist, guitarist, and composer.  Paganini was famous as a violin virtuoso and a composer who helped expand violin technique through works such as the 24 Caprices and 6 violin concertos.  Paganini also composed close to a 100 duets for violin and guitar.  Sadly the duets for violin and guitar have been neglected because most people only know about the 24 Caprices for solo violin and the violin concertos of Paganini.  Paganini’s caprices and concertos were the only works of his published during his lifetime.

Leonid Kogan (1924-1982) was one of the great Soviet violinists of the 20th century.

Here is a recording of Leonid Kogan (violin) and Alexander Ivanov Kramskol (guitar) playing Paganini’s Sonata in A Major, op.2.  Listen how the violin melody cascades in between the guitar chords.  What a beautiful tone that Kogan produces on the violin!

I decided to post this piece because it is a Paganini piece that most people have not heard.  It is also very simple and beautiful.  This music also shows a different side of the composer and virtuoso.  It is not simply virtuosity for the sake of virtuosity, but real music.