The violin and piano duo of Carolyn Huebl and Mark Wait delivers a wonderful performance on this album of sonatas by Alfred Schnittke. Though the sonatas encompass a wide variety of styles, Huebl tackles them all with solid technique, exciting bow strokes, and a range of emotions, with Wait anticipating her every move. Violin Sonata No. 1's introductory long, legato lines are punctuated briefly by the pianist, but by the second movement, the character has changed and one hears an impassioned violinist. Huebl's violin is ...
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The violin and piano duo of Carolyn Huebl and Mark Wait delivers a wonderful performance on this album of sonatas by Alfred Schnittke. Though the sonatas encompass a wide variety of styles, Huebl tackles them all with solid technique, exciting bow strokes, and a range of emotions, with Wait anticipating her every move. Violin Sonata No. 1's introductory long, legato lines are punctuated briefly by the pianist, but by the second movement, the character has changed and one hears an impassioned violinist. Huebl's violin is liquid, especially on the high notes, with a poignancy and tenderness, but the piece concludes with a lively, fun dance between the violin and piano. The two instruments play with such perfect timing and coordination, something that is necessary for the piece not to become a disaster. Schnittke's second sonata is, as the title indicates, a quasi-sonata. No ordinary sonata would begin with a bang in the piano and a shriek in the violin and it would not feature such shimmering piano...
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