Andrew Wan / Charles Richard-Hamelin BEETHOVEN Violin Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 & 8

In this first volume of the complete sonatas for violin and piano of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827), Andrew Wan and Charles Richard-Hamelin present the three opus 30 sonatas, which highlight three facets of the composer’s personality. While Sonata No. 6 shows Beethoven’s calmer side, Sonata No. 7 reveals a more tempestuous and tormented man, and the charming Sonata No. 8 displays a touch of humour.

Beethoven had been living in Vienna for about 10 years when he composed these three sonatas in 1802. Having made a name for himself as a pianist, piano teacher, and composer, he gradually began to focus on the latter endeavour, in particular by only performing his own works (or improvisations) in public starting in 1797. By the early 1800s, his renown was such that he was financially comfortable. “My compositions are very profitable, and I may really say that I have almost more commissions than it is possible for me to execute,” he wrote to his friend Franz Wegeler in June 1800. Beethoven also benefitted from the patronage of several important aristocrats, which only added to his financial security.

Despite this outward success, Beethoven was going through great inner turmoil at the time he composed these sonatas, mostly due to his increasing deafness. The first signs of his condition appeared in 1794 and gradually progressed until, seven years later, he could barely hear high frequencies at all, and his ears rang until late at night. To hide his hearing impairment, Beethoven isolated himself; and fearing he would not hear people’s answers, he avoided conversation. Thus, in addition to the psychological distress of losing his hearing, he also greatly suffered through his diminished involvement in society.

By the spring of 1802, Beethoven was quite dejected. On top of his hearing loss, he had had several professional setbacks, prompting his doctor to suggest a treatment of silence and solitude away from the cares of everyday life. So in late April he travelled to the quiet village of Heiligenstadt, north of Vienna, where he remained until the fall and finished, among other works, his Symphony No. 2 and the three opus 30 violin sonatas. (Florence Brassard)