Hindemith, Poulenc & Bartók: Violin Sonatas Elias David Moncado & Hansjacob Staemmler

• Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963): Violin Sonata in E Major, Op. 11 No. 1:
• 1 Hindemith: Violin Sonata in E Major, Op. 11 No. 1: I. Frisch 04:27
• 2 Hindemith: Violin Sonata in E Major, Op. 11 No. 1: II. Im Zeitmaß eines langsamen feierlichen Tanzes 06:09
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Violin Sonata, FP 19:
• 3 Poulenc: Violin Sonata, FP 19: I. Allegro con fuoco 06:44
• 4 Poulenc: Violin Sonata, FP 19: II. Intermezzo 06:37
• 5 Poulenc: Violin Sonata, FP 19: III. Presto tragico 06:09
• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75:
• 6 Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75: I. Allegro appassionato 14:11
• 7 Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75: II. Adagio 11:42
• 8 Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75: III. Allegro 11:05
• Total Runtime 01:07:04

Info for Hindemith, Poulenc & Bartók: Violin Sonatas

For your debut album, what motivated you to choose a rather difficult program with works by Hindemith, Bartók, and Poulenc? Are they currently your favorite composers? Have you performed these works often in recitals? As an artist, I find it fascinating to observe how composers reacted to current affairs: whenever they had to deal with a totalitarian regime, persecution, resistance, or exile.

Each of these three composers dealt in some special way with psychological stress and anxiety in their lives. In the Poulenc sonata I find a concealed passion, harsh brutality, and overwhelming pain. The Hindemith sonata contrasts and juxtaposes sombre, dancelike, and heroic elements. The timbres in the Bartók are incredibly elaborate, and a general mood of suffering imbues the entire work.

What makes works of the early 20th century so interesting for a young violinist such as yourself? Do you find them easier or more difficult than music from the 18th or 19th centuries?

For me, the 20th century is one of the most thrilling and drastic periods in history: this is reflected in the music. Composers took greater risks and experimented with a number of new playing techniques. I would find it hard to say which periods I generally find easier or more difficult. Each style has its own particular challenges; still, I generally manage to develop a good rapport with all the pieces I work on. Works of the 18th and 19th centuries are evidently more often performed and recorded than those of the 20th.

The great number of “benchmark recordings” of works of the 18th and 19th centuries means that you tend to be compared with those interpretations and placed under greater scrutiny. Certain personal approaches adopted by famous artists have become widespread. In works of the 20th century, however, I feel a much greater artistic freedom. (excerpt from the booklet interview)

Elias David Moncado, violin
Hansjacob Staemmler, piano

Elias David Moncado
21-year-old German-Spanish-Malaysian violinist Elias David Moncado is the youngest ever winner of the 1st grand prize as well as 10 special prizes at the International Karol Lipinski Violin Competition in Poland. In 2021, within two weeks, he won the 1st prize at the Int.

Valsesia Musica Competition in Italy as well as the 1st prize at the Int. Vladimir Spivakov Competition in Russia.

In addition, he is the youngest prizewinner of the 7th International Sendai Violin Competition in Japan.

He started the violin at the age of four with Keiko Skiba and Prof. Rainer Kussmaul at the Pflügerstiftung Freiburg. At the age of 7, he became junior student with Prof. Latica Honda-Rosenberg at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and later at the Julius-Stern-Institut of Universität der Künste Berlin. He was a junior student of Prof. Zakhar Bron since January 2016 at the Interlaken Classics Akademie. He is currently a student at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg with Prof. Pierre Amoyal. At the age of 6, he won the 1st prize with top honors at „Jugend Musiziert“ for solo violin. At the age of 10 he was the youngest ever recipent of the Europäischer Hoffnungspreis in the history of the European Cultural Foundation Pro Europa. At the age of 12, he made his debut at the Berliner Philharmonie with the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin. At the age of 13, he received the Deutsch-Französischen Förderpreis of the Deutsch-Französische Gesellschaft Freiburg. At the age of 15, he gave his debut in the USA.

He was a soloist of numerous orchestras like Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, hr-Symphonieorchester, Philharmonic Orchestras of Freiburg and Heidelberg, Philharmonie Baden-Baden, Zagreber Solisten, Penang Symphony Orchestra Malaysia, Orchestre Philharmonique du Maroc, Polnische Kammerphilharmonie Sopot, Torun Symphony Orchestra Poland, Wroclaw Opera Philharmonic Orchestra, MAV Budapest Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Yamagata Symphony Orchestra Japan and Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra Japan with conductors such as Fabrice Bollon, Johannes Knapp, Folko Jungnitsch, Wolfgang Trommer, Wojciech Rajski, Christoph Wyneken, Olivier Holt, Gabriel Adorján, Mariusz Smolij, Ken Takaseki, Nicolás Pasquet, Bassem Akiki, Lorenzo Passerini, Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, István Dénes, Mikhail Gerts, Elias Grandy and Vladimir Spivakov.

He was a soloist at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Kissinger Musiksommer, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburger Sommer, Next Generation Festival Bad Ragaz, Printemps Musical des Alizés, Essaouira, Morocco, Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman, Probaltica Festival Toruń, Zakopane Music Festival, Marschner-Festival Hinterzarten, crescendo Festival Berlin, Salle Alfred Cortot Paris, Teatro Ristori Verona, Alte Kirche Fautenbach Achern and Mozartfestival Schloss Schwetzingen. He appeared on rbb Berlin, WDR Köln, France 3, TV TORUŃ, SWR2 and BR Klassik.

He is a major prizewinner of international competitions such as Paul-Hindemith-Wettbewerb Berlin, Concours Flame Paris, „Young Paganini“ Legnica, Poland, Telemann-Wettbewerb Poznań, Poland, Louis-Spohr-Wettbewerb Weimar, Concorso Postacchini Fermo, Lions-Musikpreis Deutschland and Concours International de l’Orchestre du Maroc.

He is a scholarship holder of the Freunde Junger Musiker Berlin, Internationale Musikakademie Liechtenstein, Bernbeck-Stiftung, Jürgen Ponto Stiftung and Gen Re.

As a prizewinner and scholarship holder of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben Hamburg, he plays a violin by Giambattista Rogeri of Brescia (around 1700).

Booklet for Hindemith, Poulenc & Bartók: Violin Sonatas