Sonatas are pieces for small instrumental groups, usually composed of several movements and always with a soloist part. Five centuries ago, this designation made it possible to distinguish them from the Cantatas, which were written for voices. Since then, it has become an autonomous format, which continues to be practiced to this day. Sometimes, when it has a more modest dimension – understood in the light of the expectations of each era –, we choose to use the diminutive of the word, Sonatina (always in Italian).
This program brings together two Sonatas and a Sonatina. The first ones date back to the period when Beethoven was around thirty years old. One has the violin as its protagonist, the other the horn. Both coincide, therefore, with the end of Beethoven’s first creative period, during which the legacies of Haydn and Mozart were taken as a reference. It is worth remembering that it was around the same time that the premiere of Symphony No. 1 took place, in April 1800, and that more than seven years had passed since the musician had settled in Vienna. Sonatina, on the other hand, was composed in the middle of the last century by one of the personalities who most contributed to the flourishing of the music scene in the city of Porto. The Sonatina for Viola d’Arco by Luiz Costa was composed in 1949 and was dedicated to François Broos.
Program
L.v. Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 4
Luiz Costa Sonatina for Viola and Piano
L.v. Beethoven Sonata for Horn and Piano
Source: https://agendalx.pt/events/event/sonatas-e-sonatina/