Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor

Schumann professed himself dissatisfied with his first attempt at a violin sonata and within a few weeks completed a second, which he described as a “Grand Sonata”. First performed in October 1853 by the great violinist Joseph Joachim with Clara Schumann at the piano, the Second Sonata is conceived on a larger scale—four movements rather than three—with a wider expressive range and greater technical demands upon both players. Whereas the First Sonata opened anxiously, the Second launches with a series of loud, confident chords whose melodic contour drives the propulsive opening movement. Just as dynamic is the scherzo (“Sehr lebhaft”), which reaches its climax with a triumphant declamation by the violin of a Bachian chorale melody in richly voiced double-stops. This then becomes the basis of the remarkable third movement (“Leise, einfach”), a set of variations on the same chorale melody, initially heard as gently strummed violin chords over a sarabande rhythm in the piano, its calm only briefly ruffled by a reminiscence of the scherzo. The finale (“Bewegt”) then ties together the work’s strands, bringing it to a joyous close.