ALC 0107 Busoni Sonatas for violin and piano

Busoni's violin and piano sonatas, which represent a significant landmark in musical literature, require a deep understanding of Busoni's musical idiom.
The Sonata Op. 29 in E minor, composed in 1890, is notable for the quality of its themes, the late-Romantic influence of Brahms and its solid constructive structure, imitative contrapuntal writing and a predilection for melodic chromaticism.
The first movement begins with a passionate and heroic theme expounded by the violin. The second theme is presented in a dreamy and distended manner, with chromaticism in the violin accompanied by piano chords. The musical discourse continues, culminating in the Vivace in B major with an intense lyrical expression of the violin supported by rapid chromatic passages on the piano and motivic fragments of the first theme.
The second movement begins with an episode featuring a long-note chromatic motif on the piano, followed by a cadenza, in the style of the chorale, introducing the main theme. In the second part, the main theme reappears in the treble of the violin, followed by another reference to the second theme of the first movement.
The Allegro molto e deciso opens with a heroic theme in E minor, a delicate transition, using an ascending motif in dotted rhythm, dampens the initial energy and introduces the second theme in B major, more calm and serene. The musical discourse gradually comes alive and leads to an emphatic exposition of the ascending motif in dotted rhythm.