Bach & Bartók: Violin Sonatas Karl Stobbe

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005:
• 1 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: I. Adagio 04:43
• 2 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: II. Fuga 10:31
• 3 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: III. Largo 03:31
• 4 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: IV. Allegro Assai 05:12
• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945): Violin Sonata, Sz. 117:
• 5 Bartók: Violin Sonata, Sz. 117: I. Tempo di ciaccona 09:52
• 6 Bartók: Violin Sonata, Sz. 117: II. Fuga 05:28
• 7 Bartók: Violin Sonata, Sz. 117: III. Melodia 07:14
• 8 Bartók: Violin Sonata, Sz. 117: IV. Presto 05:20
• Total Runtime 51:51

Info for Bach & Bartók: Violin Sonatas

Juno Award winner and violin soloist Karl Stobbe has released the album Bach and Bartok to illustrate the profound influence of Bach’s sonatas on the world of classical music. In the first half of the album, Stobbe presents his rendition of Bach’s Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Solo Violin, BMV 1005, which is both serendipitously calm and dramatically tense. Listeners are often left longing for a resolving note, and when they finally reach it, they’re dragged back into a melody whose syncopations masterfully re-establish the anxiety of waiting. Listeners are rewarded for their patience in the last part of Bach’s sonata, whose incessantly quick pace demonstrates Stobbe’s fine control over his instrument.

Two-hundred years after the sonata’s debut, Bartok, in ill health near the end of his life, composed Sonata for Solo Violin, sz. 117. Stobbe’s rendition of this haunting work wonderfully portrays the uncertainty and desperation Bartok faced in his musical career: the strength with which the violinist occasionally plucks the instrument’s strings throughout the first two movements generates a forceful sound that communicates Bartok’s dedication in the face of his impending death. By emphasizing this motif amidst the sonata’s near lack of resolution, the anxiety of waiting evoked by Bach’s sonata is transformed into Bartok’s anxiety of conclusion. This album doesn’t provide the kind of performance one listens to casually, but rather a highly emotional and illustrative experience that packs a punch.

Karl Stobbe, violin

Karl Stobbe
is recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished violinists, known for his dedication to excellence on the violin and classical music in all its forms. As a concertmaster, soloist, and chamber musician, Karl has been an audience favorite in small settings and large venues. His diverse career has included performances of all six Ysaÿe Sonatas for Solo Violin, all 16 Beethoven String Quartets, and all 10 Mahler Symphonies. He feels equally comfortable directing an orchestra without conductor, performing as a soloist with orchestra, playing chamber music, or giving an unaccompanied recital. Noted for his generous, rich sound and long, poignant phrasing, he is described by the San Francisco Classical Voice as “an artist with soulful musicianship,” and by London’s Sunday Times as “a master soloist, recalling the golden age of violin playing... producing a breathtaking range of tone colours.”

Karl has performed in many of North America’s most famous concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, the National Arts Centre, Roy Thompson Hall, Segerstrom Hall, and the Orpheum Theatre. As a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestra director, he has shared the stage with many of the most important and eclectic violinists of our day, from James Ehnes to Mark O’Connor. Avie Records’ recording of Karl performing Ysaÿe’s Solo Violin Sonatas received worldwide attention, including Gramophone magazine which hailed it as “full of spirit and energy... exciting, fearless...” It was nominated for a 2015 JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. The year 2015 also saw the release of a live recording of Karl, joined by Jonathan Crow and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, for the title track of “Cobalt,” a CD of the music of Jocelyn Morlock. Karl frequently performs and records new music and has been involved in numerous commissions and world premieres.

Always looking to expand the concert stage, Karl has recently created a series of online concerts for digital concert platforms. Distinguished by his life-long love of the music for solo violin, this series features video recordings of all the unaccompanied violin repertoire of J.S. Bach. In honour of the 300 th anniversary of Bach’s famous Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, it also explores Bach’s influence through video performances of other solo violin repertoire of music by Bartok, Ysaye, Prokofiev, Biber, and others.

A lover of all things violin, Karl completed a minor in Violin Repair and Construction while completing his Master’s of Music at Indiana University. His passion for the construction and mechanics of the violin is an important part of his professional musical life and continues to influence his performances and teaching. Karl never misses an opportunity to see and play exceptional violins and bows. He has given multiple presentations on the history of the violin family, violin building and repair, and organized exhibits and lecture recitals on rare, fine instruments at various concert halls, art galleries, universities, and conservatories. Karl plays on an exceptional and rare violin by Nicolas Lupot, in Paris, 1806.

Booklet for Bach & Bartók: Violin Sonatas