Henri Vieuxtemps

Sonata in B flat major op. 36

Vieuxtemps is nowadays considered to be the foremost exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school. Following a concert by the 14-year old 'wunderkind' in 1834, none other than Robert Schumann said: 'With Henri one can safely close one's eyes. His playing is like a flower, at the same time both fragrant and bright.' Vieuxtemps was also an excellent viola player and alongside numerous works for violin, also wrote several compositions for its relative. The Sonata op. 36, published in 1862, is one of the gems of viola literature with its oscillation between expressive maestoso, elegiac barcarola and scherzando passages. Our edition is the first ever Urtext edition.