Schumann: Violin Sonatas No. 1 & 2; Fantasy, Op. 131 Joshua Brown & Paolo Giacometti

• Robert Schumann ((1810-1856): Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 105:
• 1 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 105: I. Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck 08:07
• 2 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 105: II. Allegretto 03:58
• 3 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 105: III. Lebhaft 05:41
• Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 131 (Arr. Friedrich Hermann for Violin and Piano):
• 4 Schumann: Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 131 (Arr. Friedrich Hermann for Violin and Piano) 14:57
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121:
• 5 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121: I. Ziemlich langsam — Lebhaft 13:06
• 6 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121: II. Sehr lebhaft 04:33
• 7 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121: III. Leise, einfach 05:43
• 8 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121: IV. Bewegt 09:14
• Total Runtime 01:05:19

Info zu Schumann: Violin Sonatas No. 1 & 2; Fantasy, Op. 131

„Der Kampf, den Schumann in seiner Musik so offen zum Ausdruck bringt, spendet mir auch weiterhin Trost und begleitet mich in schwierigen Zeiten. Ich hoffe, dass Sie einen ähnlichen Trost darin finden und die Perspektive genießen können, die Paolo und ich dieser Musik, die wir beide lieben, gegeben haben. Wir haben die Zeit mit dieser Musik während der intensiven Tage der Vorbereitung und Aufnahme für dieses Projekt sehr genossen. Danke fürs Zuhören!“ - Joshua Brown, Zweiter Preis des Königin-Elisabeth-Wettbewerbs 2024.

Joshua Brown, Violine
Paolo Giacometti, Klavier

Paolo Giacometti
performs all over the world as a soloist and as a chamber musician, both on period and on modern instruments.

He was born in Milan, Italy in 1970, but has been living in the Netherlands from his early childhood. Jan Wijn and Gyorgy Sebök were important sources of inspiration and had a significant influence on his musical education.

Paolo Giacometti has won many prizes at both national and international competitions. He has played with renowned orchestras under distinguished conductors such as Frans Brüggen, Kenneth Montgomery, Laurent Petitgirard, Michael Tilkin and Jaap van Zweden. Apart from his activities as a soloist, Paolo Giacometti’s love for chamber music has resulted in a successful co-operation with leading musicians such as Pieter Wispelwey, Gordon Nikolich, Alois Brandhofer, Janine Jansen, Bart Schneemann and Viktoria Mullova. Paolo Giacometti is a much sought-after musician at chamber music festivals in Europe, Canada and the United States. He has performed in concert halls all over the world including the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires), Wigmore Hall (London), Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris) and Seoul Arts Centre (South Korea).

Giacometti's impressive discography has been widely acclaimed by the international press. His recordings include Rossini’s complete piano works, a remarkable project that started in 1998 and was completed in 2007. In Rossini’s homeland critics say: "... Rossini has finally found his pianist ...". His recording of the Dvorák and Schumann piano concertos have been acclaimed by Gramophone as "... one of the best concerto disks I have heard in a long while ...".

Joshua Brown
has been praised by audiences and critics worldwide for his “richness of sound, elegance of reading...commitment of every moment at the service of the work...” (La Libre). Joshua gained international attention after winning the 2nd Prize and both Audience Awards at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Other international competition successes include the 1st Prize at the inaugural 2023 Global Music Education International Violin Competition in Beijing, China, as well as the 1st Prize and Audience Award at the 2019 International Violin Competition of Leopold Mozart in Augsburg, Germany.

Joshua was first recognized for his debut performance with the Cleveland Orchestra, of which ClevelandClassical wrote, “Brilliantly played and expertly paced, Brown’s performance checked into every emotional corner... Brown was spellbinding throughout his entire time on stage.” Joshua has gone on to perform regularly with orchestras around the world, including the Munich Radio Orchestra, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Civic Orchestra, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege, among others, continually garnering praise from critics. After his performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in Beijing with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Strad wrote, “Brown spun out silky, weightless phrases that seemed suspended in time;” in Belgium, Le Soir described him as “a real musician, of great sensitivity...with a real sense of nuance;” and the Indianapolis Star described his sound after a performance of Mozart’s 5th Violin Concerto as “addictive and shimmering, with emotions like dynamic colors that shifted beneath a clear, glassy surface.”

A passionate recitalist and chamber musician, Joshua has also appeared regularly in series such as Chicago's Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Festival Musiq3 in Brussels, the Tchaikovsky Festival in Moscow, the ProMusica series in Mexico, the Matinée Musicale series in Cincinnati, the Jupiter Chamber Players series in New York City, and the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Chicago. Joshua received the Kronberg Academy’s 2023 Manfred Grommek Prize, and has been named a Pirastro Artist, Yamaha Young Performing Artist, and Luminarts Fellow, among other awards. Upcoming highlights of the 2024/25 season include a recital tour of Taiwan and South Korea, as well as a series of performances of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra in Japan.

Joshua is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music studying under Donald Weilerstein after also earning his Bachelor and Master of Music there. Before his time at NEC, Joshua studied with Almita and Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago. Joshua is grateful to be playing an outstanding Nicolo Amati violin from Cremona, circa 1635-1640, on extended loan through the generosity of the Mary B. Galvin Foundation and the efforts of the Stradivari Society, a division of Bein & Fushi, Inc. The Mary B. Galvin Foundation, Inc. and the Stradivari Society support the very highest level of string playing by loaning precious antique Italian instruments to artists of exceptional talent and ability.

Booklet für Schumann: Violin Sonatas No. 1 & 2; Fantasy, Op. 131