Brahms: Works for Violin & Piano, Vol. 1 Ulf Wallin & Roland Pöntinen

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1 (Arr. for Violin & Piano):
• 1 Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1 (Arr. for Violin & Piano): I. Allegro appassionato 07:59
• 2 Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1 (Arr. for Violin & Piano): II. Andante un poco adagio 05:13
• 3 Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1 (Arr. for Violin & Piano): III. Allegretto grazioso 04:38
• 4 Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120 No. 1 (Arr. for Violin & Piano): IV. Vivace 08:13
• Violin Sonata in A Minor, WoO 2 "F-A-E":
• 5 Violin Sonata in A Minor, WoO 2 "F-A-E": III. Scherzo. Allegro 05:50
• Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen":
• 6 Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen": I. Vivace ma non troppo 11:45
• 7 Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen": II. Adagio 08:03
• 8 Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 "Regen": III. Allegro molto moderato 09:21
• Johannes Brahms:
• 9 O kühler Wald, Op. 72 No. 3 (Arr. for Violin & Piano) 02:05
• 10 An die Nachtigall, Op. 46 No. 4 (Arr. for Violin & Piano) 03:23
• Total Runtime 01:06:30

Info for Brahms: Works for Violin & Piano, Vol. 1

Asked the question ‘How many sonatas for violin and piano did Johannes Brahms compose?’, many lovers of chamber music would probably answer three, and maybe also add their respective keys and opus numbers. When pressed, a number of them would also remember the so-called F.A.E. Sonata, a collaborative effort by the young Brahms, Albert Dietrich and their mentor Robert Schumann. But very few would probably think of the two Opus 120 sonatas, composed in 1894 for clarinet (or viola) and piano, but a year later published in the composer’s own version for the violin. As the range of the B flat clarinet goes a fourth lower than that of the violin, Brahms had been forced to make considerable revisions to the clarinet part – which in turned entailed changes in the piano part, and consequently the printing of a new piano score. The seasoned team of violinist Ulf Wallin and pianist Roland Pöntinen have now decided to record all the Brahms sonatas, and the results are being released on two albums, the first one including the first of the ‘official’ sonatas, No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, the F minor Sonata from Op. 120 and Brahms’s Scherzo from the F.A.E. Sonata. Wallin and Pöntinen round off the programme with transcriptions of two of Brahms’s more lyrical songs.

Ulf Wallin, violin
Roland Pöntinen, piano

Ulf Wallin
The Swedish violinist Ulf Wallin studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm with Prof. Sven Karpe and at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Wolfgang Schneiderhan.

Concert tours have taken him to Asia, Europe and the United States. He has worked with such eminent conductors as Jesús Lopéz Cobos, Manfred Honeck, Paavo Järvi, Andrew Manze, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Walter Weller and Franz Welser-Möst. Always in great demand as a chamber player Ulf Wallin has worked with artists like Bruno Canino, Barbara Hendricks, Heinz Holliger, Roland Pöntinen und András Schiff.

Ulf Wallin has appeared at numerous major festivals including the Lucerne and Berlin music festivals, the Schleswig-Holstein fFestival, the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, Musiktage Mondsee, Festival Pablo Casals de Prades and Marlboro Music Festival. He has performed in the world’s leading venues, including the Berlin Philharmonie, La Scala di Milano, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées Paris, London’s Wigmore Hall and the Musikverein in Vienna.

Ulf Wallin’s dedication to contemporary music is highlighted by his close contacts with several eminent composers, among them Anders Eliasson, Alfred Schnittke and Rodion Shchedrin.

He has made numerous radio, and television appearances and more than 50 CD recordings (BIS, cop, EMI and BMG), have gained much acclaim and attention from the international media.

Ulf Wallin is professor of violin at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler" in Berlin and visiting professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He has served on juries for major international competitions including the ARD Competition in Munich, the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover and the Fritz Kreisler Violin Competition in Vienna.

In 2013 he was awarded the Robert-Schumann-Preis der Stadt Zwickau and in 2014 he was elected into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Ulf Wallin plays a violin by the Venetian master Domenico Montagnana from 1746.

Booklet for Brahms: Works for Violin & Piano, Vol. 1