As a reflection of the rise of a young 23-year-old musician with a bright future, Richard Strauss’ Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18 dates back to 1887-1888. As a protégé of Hans von Bülow who saw in him the great musician of the future, the young man made his debut as a conductor, an activity he would combine with composing throughout his life. Strauss studied the piano and the violin; here, he uses them both to purely expressive ends, dismissing any vain attempt at virtuosity. The writing is lyrical above all else, as evidenced by the harmonic and melodic turns that clearly prefigure his later lyrical works’ expression and convoluted melisma. Shostakovich’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 134 is the complete antithesis of Strauss’. Composed in 1968 as a 60th-birthday present for great violinist David Oistrakh, it is the work of a sick composer, partially paralysed and suffering from lung cancer due to smoking. Accused of “formalism” and taxed as “enemy of the people” by Soviet leaders, Shostakovich wrote a painful, austere piece, the implacable and tragic confession of his own sadness. Born in the GDR in 1969, violinist Franziska Pietsch studied in Germany, then at the Juilliard School in New York before perfecting her craft with Ruggiero Ricci and Zakhar Bron. Her partner, Spanish pianist Josu de Solaun, has won several international prizes (Valencia, New York, Prague, Bucharest) and performs all around the world.  – François Hudry

The second album by Franziska Pietsch and her Spanish piano partner Josu De Solaun is dedicated to the multifaceted world of French violin sonatas. With their usual aplomb and artistic intensity, the duo explore emotional landscapes complementing those of their previous album. Moving on from the exuberant revelry, serious tragedy and brutal reality of the sonatas by Strauss and Shostakovich, the musicians are now roving between the poles of dream and reality. Real experiences and emotions are reflected in a visionary dream world, external reality is mirrored internally. Inner emotions and images become reality via the music, triggering new emotions: dream and reality mirror each other. Fauré, Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc create this mirror world in diverse ways. The common theme is the fantastical, the magic of imagination, the poetic distance to reality and the intensive engagement with inner emotions. Thus the dream world becomes a retreat for listeners and artists alike.

Landmarks for Solo Violin: Franziska Pietsch’s recent recording of the Prokofiev Violin Concertos with large-scale orchestra is followed seemingly by the opposite: works for solo violin. What appears, at first sight, to be a contrast is in fact a logical continuation of her extensive discography, even an enhancement: whilst in her previous releases, Pietsch demonstrated her expressive range and intensive approach both as a brilliant soloist and as an eloquent chamber musician, she now faces the greatest possible reduction, namely a solo recital. This limitation demands incredible presence, power and intensity, for which Franziska Pietsch is predestined. From isolation, she draws depth and grounding; “less” becomes “more”; soleness transforms into greatness.