Ysaÿe: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 & Exil, Op. 25 Thomas Bowes

• Eugène Ysaÿe (1858 - 1931): Sonata for Solo Violin in E Major, Op. 27 No. 6:
• 1Sonata for Solo Violin in E Major, Op. 27 No. 6 "Manuel Quiroga"08:39
• Sonata for Solo Violin in G Minor, Op. 27 No. 1:
• 2Sonata for Solo Violin in G Minor, Op. 27 No. 1 "Joseph Szigeti": I. Grave - Lento assai04:26
• 3Sonata for Solo Violin in G Minor, Op. 27 No. 1 "Joseph Szigeti": II. Fugato. Molto moderato04:56
• 4Sonata for Solo Violin in G Minor, Op. 27 No. 1 "Joseph Szigeti": III. Allegretto poco scherzoso. Amabile04:40
• 5Sonata for Solo Violin in G Minor, Op. 27 No. 1 "Joseph Szigeti": IV. Finale con brio. Allegra fermo02:51
• Sonata for Solo Violin in E Minor, Op. 27 No. 4:
• 6Sonata for Solo Violin in E Minor, Op. 27 No. 4 "Fritz Kreisler": I. Allemanda. Lento maestoso06:09
• 7Sonata for Solo Violin in E Minor, Op. 27 No. 4 "Fritz Kreisler": II. Sarabande. Quasi lento04:01
• 8Sonata for Solo Violin in E Minor, Op. 27 No. 4 "Fritz Kreisler": III. Finale. Presto ma non troppo03:22
• Sonata for Solo Violin in D Minor, Op. 27 No. 3:
• 9Sonata for Solo Violin in D Minor, Op. 27 No. 3 "Ballade"07:54
• Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession":
• 10Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession": I. Prélude. Poco vivace02:51
• 11Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession": II. Malinconia. Poco lento02:45
• 12Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession": III. Danse des ombres. Sarabande04:32
• 13Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession": IV. Les furies. Allegro furioso03:28
• 14Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession": V. L'aurore. Lento assai05:11
• 15Sonata for Solo Violin in A Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Obsession": VI. Danse rustique. Allegro giocoso molto moderato05:17
• Exil, Op. 25:
• 16Exil, Op. 2510:06
• Total Runtime01:21:08

Info for Ysaÿe: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 & Exil, Op. 25

Acclaimed English violinist Thomas Bowes seems to have a penchant for thoroughness and completion. Known and praised for his complete recording of all J. S. Bach’s sonatas and partitas, the European virtuoso has now taken it upon himself to embark on another quest for totality. This time, it is the six sonatas by Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931), presented on Bowes' new album, EUGÈNE YSAŸE: SIX SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN. As one would expect from Bowes, they are played to passionate perfection.

Ysaÿe, hailed in his time as no less than the "King of the Violin", is a formidable figure to take on for any modern musician. He was famed not only for precision but more especially for a deeply affecting, quasi-supernatural power of communication. A man of immense generosity and largeness of spirit It is difficult to imagine any violinist adequately reproducing Ysaÿe's compositions and this special aura. Doubly so if one considers the background of the Six Sonatas for Violin. They were written at a crucial point late in life. Plagued by illness and doubt and finding himself increasingly cut off from playing his beloved instrument as he would wish, this deep frustration found expression in this encapsulation of his art. In short, these works – all sketched out at white heat in a 24-hour period and hair-raisingly complex and difficult for the player – are an embodiment of the man.

Thankfully, Bowes not only possesses the technical mastery to command every playing requirement; he also approaches these works with a great sense of empathy towards their creator. It is this attribute which affords him the rarest of insights into Ysaÿe's violinistic mastermind. In fact, Bowes plays with such zest and clarity that the listener occasionally needs to be reminded that these are indeed sonatas for solo violin, not for an ensemble of two or three musicians. It is truly a feast for the ears, and one that has rarely been approached with such sympathy – up until now, that is.

Thomas Bowes, violin

Thomas Bowes
is one of the UK’s most versatile and accomplished violinists – as a soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and artistic director.

His concerto work in the UK, Germany and the USA has included performances of the Elgar, Walton, Britten and Szymanowski concertos. At the invitation of the late Lady Walton, Tom spent three weeks on Ischia studying the history and score of the Walton concerto. His subsequent critically acclaimed recording of the work (along with the Barber concerto) reveals a special connection to Walton’s music.

Tom undertook an extensive ‘Bach Pilgrimage’ in 2013, giving fifty concerts of the unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas of JS Bach in churches across mainland Britain and raising over £20,000 for various charities. His recording the works is due for release in early summer 2018 when he will be again be making a Bach Pilgrimage across Britain. Further Pilgrimages are planned for every year.

Tom’s partnership with his wife, the composer and pianist Eleanor Alberga, has played a significant role throughout his career. As the duo “Double Exposure” they toured extensively across the USA, made a ground-breaking trip to China in 1997 and gave regular performances and broadcasts in the UK. The Duo established a reputation for adventurous programming and regularly performed commissions and world premieres of American and British composers.

As an enthusiastic champion of the music of Eleanor Alberga, Tom gave the world premiere of her first Violin Concerto with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Joseph Swensen. A second Alberga concerto is in the midst of composition and a premiere is planned for the 2019/20 season.

Chamber music has been a major part of Tom’s artistic life – he was the founding leader of the Maggini Quartet – and between 2003 and 2016 he was the Artistic Director of the Langvad Chamber Music Jamboree in northern Denmark. More recently, with Eleanor Alberga, he founded the music festival Arcadia in north Herefordshire, England. Central to the ethos of both festivals is to bring fresh, authentic and vibrant music making to local communities and their audiences.

Equally at home in the commercial recording studio, Tom is in great demand as soloist and concertmaster and works closely with many of today’s most eminent film composers. Amongst numerous film credits are such hit-movies as the Bond films “Spectre” and “Skyfall”, The Hunger Games trilogy, “The King’s Speech” and “The Da Vinci Code”. Tom is privileged to own and play a violin by one of the great Cremonese makers - a splendid 1659 Nicolo Amati.

This album contains no booklet.