Violin Sonatas: Review

Jul 19, 2023

Virginia-born, Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn surprises the listener with her new album.

(Photo by Chris Lee)

Classical music should be for everyone, but sometimes it gets a bit crazy...a bit weird. Lexington-born musician Hilary Hahn has the musicality, the experience, and the passion to create an album that is exceptional; after all, she’s recently been named the New York Philharmonic’s Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence for ’23-24. However, her latest release, Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op.27, composed by Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, shows off her great talent but reveals the composer’s 100-year-old work has not aged as other great works have.

One of those genius virtuosos, Ysaÿe had a successful career as a musician and teacher—his friends included, Saint-Saëns, Clara Schumann, and Debussy—and he was the music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1918-22. His compositions are perhaps less widely played. Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op.27 was dedicated to his fellow musicians and has become a staple of string music.

The first sonata starts rather dramatically. Unlike the works of Corelli (12 Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 alone), which has a regal, stately atmosphere, this is much more modern—though not quite Messiaen modern. There’s a shift from the Romantic period; a harsher sound surprises the listener; there's a jagged quality to it. Hahn, naturally, plays all this exceptionally.

These six sonatas are known for taking quite a toll on those who dare to try them. Ysaÿe really should have taken a lesson or two from the French impressionists, something with a gorgeous melody. Track 12, the “finale” of the fourth sonata, was one of two pieces that really held merit, to my ears. It was energetic without being all stop-start-stop. Track 13, “L’Aurore,” also felt more musical. It starts off with a British folksiness to it, like a score by Ralph von Williams perhaps. The song feels like a stroll around fog-concealed fields.

Though these sonatas might not stir your fancy, Hilary Hahn's technique and ability amaze—one just wonders if she could put that talent toward other works for violin. Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op.27 is a release that may alienate some listeners, but Hahn seems to enjoy herself as she performs, and that is what music is all about.