Violinsonate Nr. 5 F-Dur op. 24

Beethoven’s two sonatas for piano and violin, opuses 23 and 24, were composed together in 1800/1801, when Beethoven was staying at the “Greinerisches Haus Zur Kleinen Weintraube.” The Sonata in F Major, op. 24, is apocryphally titled the “Spring Sonata,” a name that captures the work’s cheerful, carefree atmosphere. The relaxed mood comes across very clearly in this recording by Erica Morini and Miklos Schwalb. In the section, we hear the opening of the first movement, including the early part of the light, melodic main theme. It is not until the transition into the second movement that the musical action takes a dramatic turn.

The Austrian-American violinist Erica Morini (1904–1955) was celebrated as a Wunderkind during her early career in Vienna. Having already established herself as an internationally successful musician, she emigrated to the United States in 1938. She helped to popularise the violin concertos of Louis Spohr by including them in her performances. Morini is accompanied on this recording by the Hungarian pianist Miklos Schwalb (1903–1981). Having debuted with the Budapest Philharmonic at an early age, he later emigrated to the United States, where he worked as a music teacher.
(Constanze Köhn)