Poulenc’s Violin Sonata was written in 1942 – 3, during the German occupation of France in the Second World War. Poulenc had abandoned previous attempts at a violin sonata, but finished this one at the insistence, and with the help of the great French violin virtuoso Ginette Neveu. The sonata was written in memory of the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, and the harmony is occasionally reminiscent of Spain. The first and last movements are full of violent energy, and contrast with the lyricism of the second.
Ravel’s single movement sonata for violin and piano dates from 1897 and was probably written for Fauré’s composition class. It is usually known as Sonate Posthume, as it was not published until 1975, 38 years after the composer’s death.
Richart van Zyl - violin
William Hancox - piano
The full programme was:
DEBUSSY Minstrels
POULENC Sonata for Violin and Piano
RICHART VAN ZYL Voyage
RAVEL Sonate Posthume
RICHARD WILLIAMS Lullaby
RAUTAVAARA Whispering
GERSHWIN / HEIFETZ Selections from Porgy and Bess
Debussy Minstrels
Minstrels is the last of Debussy’s first book of 12 preludes for piano and was written in 1910. He transcribed it for violin and piano in 1914. Debussy wrote the titles for his preludes on the last page of each work, as he apparently didn’t want performers to be overly influenced by them. This piece, with its quirky syncopations and music hall humour was supposedly inspired by English clowns and travelling minstrel shows.
Poulenc Sonata for Violin and Piano
Poulenc struggled to write for strings and was extremely rude about some of the works of the 19th century – ‘the violin prima donna over piano arpeggios makes me vomit’, he wrote. This piece was at least his fourth attempt at a violin sonata, and was finally completed with the encouragement, help, and, one suspects, the relentless chivvying of the great French violin virtuoso Ginette Neveu, whom he did not wish to offend. They gave the first performance in 1943, in wartime Paris – unfortunately no recording was made – and partly because Neveu drastically limited her performances in France during the war, as a protest against German occupation, there is no record of her playing it again before her tragic death in a plane crash in 1949 at the age of 30. The sonata is in three movements, fast – slow – fast, and is dedicated to the memory of the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. It may be a rare excursion into string writing for Poulenc – but we think it’s well worth a hearing!
Richart van Zyl Voyage
Voyage was composed and premiered in Sussex in 2023 by Richart and Will. Written in a more traditional style, the piece explores the imagery of a journey across the sea.
Listeners may recognise the rolling waves in the beginning, while the central section depicts the sea at its most powerful through energetic rhythms, sweeping melodic lines, and heightened harmonic tension. As the storm recedes, the music gradually returns to a state of calm, concluding with a sense of quiet reflection and resolution.
Ravel Sonate Posthume
Widely recognised as one of France’s greatest composers, Maurice Ravel achieved the distinction of being expelled from the Paris Conservatoire twice – once in 1895, for not winning a medal in piano playing or harmony, and again in 1900. Between those dates, studying with Fauré, he wrote the single movement sonata for violin and piano which was not published until 1975, 38 years after his death. It’s a further irony that someone whose own piano playing was deemed too inept for him to remain at conservatoire created some of the most technically demanding music ever to have been written for the instrument. The 22-year-old Ravel brings clarity, simplicity, lyricism and passion to this sonata, which foreshadows many of his mature works. We think it deserves to be better known.
Richard Williams Lullaby
Originally from a Welsh Christmas Cantata, "Lullaby" was Mary's song to her baby, part soothing and part fearful of what her child was to endure.
It’s based on a carol submitted for the Radio 3 Carol Competition in 2015, with English words by Roger McGough.
Rautavaara Whispering
The Finnish composer Rautavaara, (1928 – 2016) was recognised by Sibelius, who recommended him for a scholarship to study composition at the famous Juilliard School in New York. He went through a number of stylistic transformations in the course of his life but always maintained a connection with the mystical and metaphysical. Whispering dates from 2010 and was commissioned by violinist Hilary Hahn as part of her Encores project.
Gershwin/Heifetz Selections from Porgy and Bess
Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which he called a ‘folk opera’, was written in 1935, and although its portrayal of Black American culture has often proved controversial, it has been widely performed all over the world ever since. The great Russian/American violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz arranged some of its most famous numbers for violin and piano, and these transcriptions now have a firm place in the repertoire. Of Heifetz’s playing, George Bernard Shaw famously wrote:
"Your recital has filled me and my wife with anxiety. If you provoke a jealous god by playing with such superhuman perfection, you will die young. I earnestly advise you to play something badly every night before going to bed instead of saying your prayers. No mere mortal should presume to play as faultlessly as that."