Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonatas Natalia van der Mersch & Olivier Roberti

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Violin Sonata No. 1 op. 78 in G Major:
• 1 Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 op. 78 in G Major: I. Vivace ma non troppo 10:51
• 2 Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 op. 78 in G Major: II. Adagio piu Andante 07:35
• 3 Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 op. 78 in G Major: III. Allegro molto moderato 08:17
• Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100 in A Major:
• 4 Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100 in A Major: I. Allegro amabile 08:31
• 5 Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100 in A Major: II. Andante tranquillo 06:12
• 6 Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 op. 100 in A Major: III. Allegretto grazioso 05:28
• Violin Sonata No, 3 in D major op. 108 in D Major:
• 7 Brahms: Violin Sonata No, 3 in D major op. 108 in D Major: I. Allegro 08:25
• 8 Brahms: Violin Sonata No, 3 in D major op. 108 in D Major: II. Adagio 04:43
• 9 Brahms: Violin Sonata No, 3 in D major op. 108 in D Major: III. Un poco presto e con sentimento 03:05
• 10 Brahms: Violin Sonata No, 3 in D major op. 108 in D Major: IV. Presto agitato 05:57
• Total Runtime 01:09:04

Info for Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonatas

Natalia van der Mersch: The idea of recording all three Brahms sonatas came to us quite spontaneously. Olivier Roberti and I had played them together and thought: Why not? There was no lengthy deliberation, just the will to do it. And so it quickly took shape and we organised ourselves quickly. We had to organise the recording equipment, hire a piano and set the date, all of which required a certain amount of planning. In the end, the recordings took place at Conjoux Castle in Belgium - just like my previous recording with Natalia Kovalzon, with whom I form the duo Natalia. Olivier Roberti: "Despite all my experience, I see playing Brahms as a real challenge. Even in his chamber music works he is quite symphonic and when playing the piano you have to be able to imagine orchestral colours that are not typical for the piano or violin. It is particularly challenging here to shape long phrases powerfully, perhaps in a similar way to what Furtwangler did in his symphonies. For me, the pianist and teacher Leon Fleischer was a formative artistic inspiration - especially in this respect. He was one of the outstanding pianists of his time and his interpretations of Brahms' works had a strong influence on me. His approach of offering clear lines and controlled tempi helped me a lot to find a certain direction in my own playing."

Natalia van der Mersch, violin
Olivier Roberti, piano

Natalia van der Mersch
Steurer was born in Essen, Germany. Her musical talent was recognized early on by world-renowned Russian violinist and pedagogue Zakhar Bron. He accepted her into his class at the Lübeck Academy of Music. Then she was invited by the famous Russian violin virtuoso Igor Oistrakh to his newly founded master class at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where she completed her concert exam with great distinction.

Natalia van der Mersch received multiple awards during her education, including the Parke-Davis Sponsorship Award and the Aalto Award in Essen. She made her concert debut with orchestra performing Antonín Dvořák’s violin concerto with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra at Nuremberg’s Meistersingerhalle. She has since appeared on national and international concert stages with the Kölner Kammerorchester, the Hamburg Philharmonic and Essen Philharmonic, the Polish Chamber Philharmonic, Orchestre de Chambre National de Toulouse and with the Campus Orchestra Israel.

Natalia has been invited to numerous music festivals including the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, the Rheingau Festival and the Gstaad Music Festival. Her first CD recording was made in 1990 “Zahkar Bron’s Meisterschüler” together with Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov and David Garrett followed by “Natalia Steurer” with pianist Alexander Markovich, “Salut d’amour” with pianist Luc Devos, “Liebesfreud” with pianist Eduard Kiprsky and “La Folia” with Natalia Kovalzon.

Natalia van der Mersch, mother of six, lives with her family in Luxemburg.

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