Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor

Saint-Saëns’ Violin Sonata No. 1 is a work on a grand scale emulating the rhythmic energy and thrilling virtuosity of Beethoven’s epic Kreutzer Sonata. Composed in 1885 and premiered the same year in Huddersfield, when Saint-Saëns was on an extended tour of England, the sonata is cast in two sections, each comprising two movements that follow each other without a break. The opening “Allegro agitato” sets up a powerful conflict between two contrasting themes, the first nervy and restless, the second heroic and optimistic. A calmer ethereal mood dominates the ensuing “Adagio”, which is notable for some wonderfully rippling sounds in the piano. The fleet-of-foot “Allegro moderato”, brimming with French elegance and wit, leads directly into the mercurial “Allegro molto” finale. Here, the seemingly relentless sequence of brilliant scales, leading to a triumphant restatement of the heroic second theme from the first movement, rushes toward a conclusion at a speed that seems almost too hot to handle for human fingers.