Prokofiev: Works for Violin & Piano Franziska Pietsch & Detlev Eisinger

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80:
• 1I. Andante assai07:04
• 2II. Allegro brusco07:01
• 3III. Andante07:48
• 4IV. Allegrissimo07:31
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94b:
• 5I. Moderato08:19
• 6II. Scherzo. Presto05:17
• 7III. Andante04:04
• 8IV. Allegro con brio07:31
• Cinq mélodies, Op. 35b:
• 9I. Andante02:29
• 10II. Lento, ma non troppo02:58
• 11III. Animato, ma non allegro03:45
• 12IV. Allegretto leggero e scherzando01:27
• 13V. Andante non troppo03:24
• Total Runtime01:08:38

Info for Prokofiev: Works for Violin & Piano

Following the successful release of the Grieg Violin Sonatas, Franziska Pietsch and her piano partner Detlev Eisinger now present music by Sergei Prokofiev on the audite label. His works reflect facets of her own biography to a significant degree. As an emerging talent in the GDR, Franziska Pietsch enjoyed special state support; her musical training was thus initially shaped by the Eastern European school, bringing Prokofiev's music close to her heart. His two Violin Sonatas appear as two contrasting poles within his oeuvre - her life has also moved between extremes. The state support led to early success in the GDR. However, her father's escape to the West in 1984 was followed by two years of reprisals by the regime, intensively shaping Franziska Pietsch's understanding of music: deprived of any possibility of playing concerts or taking lessons, her chosen path towards hope - against desperation, refusal, fear and despotism - led inwards. Music became the only language in which she was able to express herself freely and which gave her the necessary strength to withstand external circumstances, continuing to hope for freedom. These were the origins of the intensity and artistic depth which characterise Franziska Pietsch's playing to the present day.

The two Violin Sonatas, written largely between 1938 and 1946 after Prokofiev's return to the Soviet Union, could not be more contrary: No 1 in F minor, Prokofiev's 'Appassionata', is a tragic piece, whilst No 2 in D major, originally conceived for flute and piano, is predominantly joyful and serene. Prokofiev arranged it himself, with David Oistrakh advising him. The reworked version of the Cinq mélodies, composed in 1919/20 for voice (without text) and piano accompaniment, was also produced by Prokofiev himself. These chamber works expose three intrinsic aspects of his artistry: his ability to create a seamless, emotionally intense melodic line; his often concealed tragic side; and his classicist inclination.

'The performers give off sparks playing these works (...).These pieces need to be played exactly in this energetic, dramatic, rhythmically accentuated and pronounced manner for then they reveal their beauty, at once austere and lyrical, most intensely.' (Südwest Presse)

Franziska Pietsch, violin
Detlev Eisinger, piano

Franziska Pietsch
Raised in Berlin by a family of musicians rich in tradition, she received her first violin lessons at a mere five years of age. At age eleven, she played her debut-concert at the Komische Oper in Berlin, and was already engaged as a soloist with distinguished orchestras of the former GDR. She began her studies at a young age the “Hanns Eisler” Music University with Professor W. Scholz. She received exceptional support by the state, until her Father fled to West Germany in 1983 upon which three arduous years marked by reprisals from the regime followed. Being 16 years old, she was able to immigrate to Western Germany with her mother and younger sister in 1986. She continued her musical education with Prof. Ulf Hoelscher in Karlsruhe, Prof. Jens Ellerman in Hannover, as well as Dorothy Delay at the Julliard School in New York. Master courses with established people such as W.Wilkomirska, R. Ricci, H. Krebbers and Z. Bron were precious impetuses for her artistic career. She is the prize-winner of the Bach-Wettbewerb Leipzig, the Concertino Praga and the Concours Maria Canal in Barcelona. Henceforth, her extensive concert activity leads her to various countries in Europe as well as to American and Asia. Amongst others, she performed with conductors such as Antoni Wit, Arpad Joo, Moshe Atzmon, Julia Jones, Toshiyuki Kamioka and Georg Hanson. From 1998 to 2002, she was the first concert master of the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, and from 2006 to 2010, second soloist in the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. She received regular invitations to perform as a concert master at the Düsseldorfer Oper, Frankfurter Oper and the WDR in Cologne. This experience as concert master in renowned Orchestras proved to be a fruitful and inspiring time. Yet her particular interest lies in chamber music. She founded the Trio Testore together with the Pianist Hyun Jung Kim-Schweiker and the Cellist Hans-Christian Schweiker in the year 2000. Since then, it accompanies and enriches her artistic path. In addition to its extensive concert activity, the Trio instituted its own chamber music festival “Mai – Klassik” in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Their complete recordings of Brahms’s trios on SACD Surround appeared in April 2013 on the Label Audite. An additional recording of works by Rachmaninov and Tchaikowsky was released in August 2014 on the same Label, going on to being nominated for the “International Classic Music Award 2015”. Since 2002, the most intimate language of the chamber music has bound her to her artistic partner at the Piano, Detlev Eisinger. Their first CD, with works by Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms appeared 2014 on the Label Musicom. Another CD with all Grieg Sonatas will be published mid-2015 with the Label Audite. Since 2014, the String Trio Lirico has been part of her artistic path. Besides her passion for music, a yearning for poetry and the wish to express the events of her life in her own words has accompanied her since a young age. Especially the style of the poem has always fascinated her. Akin to music, it invites a deep freedom of the soul, orchestrated through rhythm and dramaturgy. Music and poetry constitute mutual influences and inspirations for her artistic life. Her Poems will now be released for the first time by the Karin Fischer Verlag in the middle of the year, together with works by the artist Nasrah Nefer. Franziska Pietsch plays a Violin crafted by Carlo Antonio Testore (Milan) in 1751.

Booklet for Prokofiev: Works for Violin & Piano