Grieg | Violin Sonata

Inmo Yang, Yannick Rafalimanana

Background

'It has always been a dream of mine to organize a concert series in my direct neighborhood, for the locals. I have been living in Weissensee since 4 years and I love my Kiez; it felt only natural to bring great music here. Inspired by the Parisian Salons in France, the Schubertiade in Vienna in the 19th century, or more recently Groupmuse in the US or the Kiez Treff culture in Germany (aka Bizet Kietz-Treff ), Yannick’s Salon aims to bring together local community and young audience around great art, specifically Chamber Music masterpieces. The events will be as social as they are musical with a greater connection between the performers and the audience. The atmosphere will be convivial, beers will be around and the dresscode relaxed. This project wouldn’t be possible without help and I am happy and proud to collaborate on this endeavor with Bildungs- und Kulturzentrum Peter Edel, Culiner Creative Circle, Amanda Group, Neustart Kultur and my dear C. Bechstein.'

Yannick Rafalimanana

Concert program

Grieg began composing his third and final violin sonata in the autumn of 1886. Whereas the first two sonatas were written in a matter of weeks, this sonata took him several months to complete. The sonata remains the most popular of the three works, and has established itself in the standard repertoire. The work was also a personal favorite of Grieg's. The sonata premiered with Grieg himself at the piano with well-known violinist Adolph Brodsky in Leipzig. To a certain extent, Grieg built on Norwegian folk melodies and rhythms in this three-movement sonata. However, Grieg considered the second sonata as the "Norwegian" sonata, while the third sonata was "the one with the broader horizon."

The sonata is in three movements:
I. Allegro molto ed appasionata
II. Allegretto esprissivo alla Romanza
III. Allegro animato

Inmo Yang, violin
Yannick Rafalimanana, piano

25:26 min 2023