The magical world of sound created by Eugène Ysaÿe draws me like an
irresistible magnet. In these solo sonatas, inspired by a broad palette
of colours and an infinite imagination, Ysaÿe challenges the violinist
to transcend technical boundaries. I have attempted, in the light of
the numerous instructions in the score, to translate Ysaÿe’s abstract
language into a natural and coherent story for the listener.
Each sonata reflects the playing of the great violin master to whom
it is dedicated. I feel blessed to have received lessons from a living
violin legend: Mauricio Fuks. He tirelessly encouraged me to reach into
the deepest corners of my soul in order to connect to my inner voice,
and to use the timelessly beautiful sounds of the earlier masters as a
source of inspiration. I therefore dedicate this album to him, with great
love and gratitude.
The violin I play was once played by the renowned Belgian violinist
Carlo Van Neste. In friendship and appreciation, Queen Elisabeth of
Belgium provided him with the financial means to buy the instrument,
whence the sobriquet ‘Ex Reine Elisabeth’. (In due course the violin
passed to the Dutch National Foundation for Musical Instruments and
thence, on loan, to me.) Queen Elisabeth was herself an accomplished
violinist and received lessons from Ysaÿe: things have come full circle.
Furthermore, there is a coincidental resonance between my name,
(Frederieke) Eugenie Saeijs, and that of Eugène Ysaÿe; and in fact my
late uncle was called Eugène Saeijs. The interwovenness of our names
surely – even tongue in cheek – draws me yet further towards Ysaÿe’s music. And there is a parallel of place: Ysaÿe composed these sonatas at
his seaside house in Knokke-le-Zoute, a popular Belgian bathing resort
near the Dutch border; I grew up in The Hague, very near the popular
bathing resort of Scheveningen. How well I can imagine the inspiration
that must have visited Ysaÿe as he surveyed the surrounding dunes and
breathed in the fresh wind of the North Sea.
I have worked on this project with all my heart and, though the quest
for the perfect interpretation is without end, I am very happy to share
the results with you. I wish you an inspiring and adventurous journey
through the extraordinary landscapes of ‘Mount Ysaÿe’. (Frederieke Saeijs)
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