Olaf Mühlenhardt

Sonata à IV Violini C major TWV 40:203

The form of these concertos is concise and concentrated, even in a moderate tempo none of them lasts longer than eight minutes. The fast movements are fresh and lively. The slow ones are expressive and make use of uncommon harmony. Because of the imitative disposition all parts are equally involved in the materials' treatment. The antiphonal opposition of instrumental groups in pairs is especially prominent.The dynamics in the Grave are the only ones found in the manuscript of the Sonata in C-major TWV 40:203. The writing in the second movement is very idiomatic for the violin and this particularly challenging for saxophones, especially in fast passages with large intervals. A few minor alterations may facilitate the technical difficulties. Sixteenth notes could be slurred in groups of four or two where wider intervals occur, as indicated by the dashed slurs. Difficult sixteenth note passages could be partly or completely substituted by eighth notes, according to one's own progress.In bars 31/32 and 41 the accompaniment in the lower parts is originally in unison. The cues complete the harmony, especially if the first Alto part is simplified. The quarter notes in Largo e staccato have a certain weight in the context of the short eighth notes and should not be played too short.