Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1, 5, 6 & 10 Antje Weithaas & Dénes Várjon

• Ludwig van Beethoven )1770 - 1827): Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring":
• 1 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": I. Allegro 10:07
• 2 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": II. Adagio molto espressivo 07:00
• 3 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": III. Scherzo. Allegro molto — Trio 01:20
• 4 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo 06:48
• Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1:
• 5 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1: I. Allegro 07:56
• 6 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1: II. Adagio molto espressivo 08:21
• 7 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 30 No. 1: III. Allegretto con variazioni 08:13
• Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1:
• 8 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1: I. Allegro con brio 08:35
• 9 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1: II. Tema con variazioni. Andante con moto 07:36
• 10 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1: III. Rondo. Allegro 04:46
• Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96:
• 11 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: I. Allegro moderato 10:59
• 12 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: II. Adagio espressivo 06:29
• 13 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: III. Scherzo. Allegro 02:02
• 14 Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: IV. Poco Allegretto 09:12
• Total Runtime 01:39:24

Info for Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1, 5, 6 & 10

There are albums that ignite within the first few seconds of listening. For me, this definitely includes the new album by Antje Weithaas and Dénes Vàrjon. Neither of them are stars with a glamour factor, but they are incredibly brilliant musicians who are solely and exclusively concerned with the matter at hand. The two of them play together beautifully, have a huge spectrum of tonal colours and are true "Beethoven whisperers". They have immersed themselves deep into his sound cosmos and on their new album they show themselves to be the ideal "medium" for his music. You simply have to hear it for yourself - this is what Beethoven can sound like when he is taken seriously, note for note.....(Radio Bremen Nov 2023) "Once in my life I wanted to record Beethoven's ten violin sonatas as a cycle!" - For violinist Antje Weithaas, this was a long-cherished wish. The repertoire of the internationally renowned soloist, chamber musician and sought-after violin teacher is wide-ranging, from the Baroque to the present day. But Beethoven's sonatas for piano and violin have a special significance. "There is a deep humanity in this music. I find it in every sonata. There is an incredibly touching moment in every piece by Beethoven that I know." Antje Weithaas undertook this "journey" through several of Beethoven's creative periods with one of the most versatile and sensitive pianists of our time, the Hungarian Dénes Várjon.

He has travelled the world as a soloist in concerts and chamber music and teaches. Dénes Várjon has been influenced by such great Hungarian musicians as the composer György Kurtág, the violinist and conductor Sándor Vegh and the pianists Ferenc Rados and András Schiff. " (from the booklet by Elisabeth Richter)

Antje Weithaas, violin
Denes Varjon, piano

Antje Weithaas
Brimming with energy, Antje Weithaas brings her compelling musical intelligence and technical mastery to every detail in the score. Her charisma and stage presence are captivating, but never overshadow the works themselves. Her wide-ranging repertoire encompasses a large portion of major concerto and chamber music works from the Baroque age to the present day.

As a soloist, she has made appearances with a great number of orchestras in Europe and around the globe, collaborating with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Dmitri Kitayenko, Sir Neville Marriner, Marc Albrecht, Yakov Kreizberg, Sakari Oramo, and Carlos Kalmar.

With her infectious zest for communication, Antje Weithaas has become a sought-after leader in “Play-Conduct concerts” with internationally renowned chamber orchestras. She was Artistic Director of the Camerata Bern for almost ten years and still returns to work with them on a regular basis.

Her concerts as Associated Artist of the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris in the 2021/22 season led to an immediate re-invitation.

Weithaas’s recordings include the solo sonatas of Bach and Ysaÿe, the Ligeti horn trio, Beethoven quartets, Schubert trios, and the violin concertos of Beethoven, Schumann, Berg, and Khachaturian. More than anything else, Antje Weihaas is a chamber music musician par excellence and is playing with many high qualified partners.

She won the Kreisler Competition in Graz in 1987 and the Bach Competition in Leipzig in 1988, as well as the renowned Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hanover in 1991. Together with Oliver Wille, she recently assumed the artistic directorship of the Joachim competition. After teaching at the Berlin University of the Arts, Antje Weithaas was appointed to a chair at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in 2004, where she has acquired a pre-eminent worldwide reputation as a violin teacher. She plays on a 2001 Peter Greiner violin.

Dénes Várjon
Várjon’s sensational technique, profound musicianship, and wide range of interests have made him one of the most thrilling and highly regarded pianists on the international music scene. Várjon is a universal musician: an excellent soloist, a first-class chamber musician, an artistic director of music festivals, and a highly sought-after piano pedagogue. Widely acknowledged as a preeminent chamber musician, Várjon works on a regular with illustrious partners such as Steven Isserlis, Antje Weithaas, Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, Jörg Widmann, Leonidas Kavakos, András Schiff, Heinz Holliger, Miklós Perényi, and Joshua Bell. As a soloist, he is a welcome guest at major concert series, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Vienna’s Konzerthaus and London’s Wigmore Hall.

He is frequently invited to work with many of the world’s leading symphony orchestras: Budapest, Zurich, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Russian National Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, collaborating with eminent conductors, including Sir Georg Solti, Sándor Végh, Iván Fischer, Ádám Fischer, Heinz Holliger, Horst Stein, Leopold Hager, and Zoltán Kocsis. He appears on a regular basis at leading international festivals from Marlboro to Salzburg and Edinburgh.

Dénes Varjón has recorded for the Naxos, Capriccio, ECM, PAN-Classics (CH) and Hungaroton labels with critical acclaim. In 2015 he recorded the Schumann piano concerto with the WDR Symphonieorchester and Heinz Holliger, and all five Beethoven piano concertos with Concerto Budapest and András Keller.

In 1991, Dénes Várjon graduated from the Franz Liszt Music Academy Budapest, where his professors included Sándor Falvai, György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados.

In parallel with his studies, he participated as actively in international master classes imparted by András Schiff. Dénes Várjon won first prize at the Piano Competition of Hungarian Radio, at the Leó Weiner Chamber Music Competition in Budapest, and at the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich. He is a recipient of the Liszt Prize, the Sándor Veress Prize, and the Bartók-Pásztory Prize. In 2020 he received Hungary’s foremost award in the area of culture, the Kossuth Prize. Mr. Várjon works also for Henle Urtext Editions.

Booklet for Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1, 5, 6 & 10