Hilary Hahn & Valentina Lisitsa - Ives: Four Violin Sonatas (2011/2018) [Hi-Res]

A two-time Grammy award winner, Hilary Hahn is no stranger to the less explored corners of the classical repertoire. Her previous Deutsche Grammophon disc, Higdon& Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts and featured the world-premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon's Pulitzer prize-winning concerto. Prior to that Hahn has recorded Schoenberg's Concerto for Violin, Op. 36 coupled with Sibelius's Concerto for Violin in D minor, Op. 47 which also went on to top the Billboard Chart and achieved critical and popular success.

Charles Ives's idiom is in Hilary Hahn's American blood - which her fierce and fitting playing shows. Her partnership with pianist Valentina Lisitsa models what two singular artists can accomplish in the interests of a common cause. Quirky, peculiar, rich with Charles Ives's idiosyncratic notion of melody, peppered with dissonance yet also logical - Ives's works for violin and piano turn familiar musical expressions upside down. They are an alternate universe of aesthetic pleasure.

This album contains all four of Ives's sonatas for violin and piano. The First Sonata is relatively conservative: dense but mostly tonal. The Second Sonata is split into three movements, each carrying an affective name: "Autumn","In the Barn", and "The Revival". The next sonata aims to "express the feeling and fervor - a fervor that was often more vociferous than religious - with which the hymns and revival tunes were sung at the Camp Meetings held extensively in New England in the 70's and 80's." The final sonata is lighter in mood and smaller in scope than the other three pieces.

". . . Hahn has consistently shown an intelligence willing to go beyond the usual . . . Her chief trait as a player is an extremely graceful lyricism. She seems to intuit the shape of phrases . . . Of the performances of the sonatas I've heard, I think Hahn and Lisitsa easily the best . . . Under them, the music loses its bizarro quality and becomes poetic and even fun . . . Hahn and Lisitsa communicate not only with the listener, but with each other . . . they walk the same road, companionably and "naturally." It's like hearing a really good conversation. The sound is excellent, allowing both intimacy and clarity." (Classicalcdreview)

"Her tone is very clean . . . Her playing suggests the word "honesty", fully appropriate for Ives . . . [the performances] wear well . . . [Lisitsa] and Hahn have obviously come to full agreement -- they play as one, each taking the lead as the music requires . . . Deutsche Grammophon provides fine sound . . . I have no hesitation recommending Hahn/Lisitsa as a first choice for this wonderful music." (James H. North, Fanfare)

Hilary Hahn, violin
Valentina Lisitsa, piano