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National Radio Series 2024–2025

Outstanding Sonatas

First Aired Jun 18, 2025
0:58:59
audio Audio / Radio Program

This collection of works showcases three great masters of the sonata, and through this progression we observe the evolution of one of chamber music’s most stalwart genres. Beginning with Mozart’s Violin Sonata in F major, K. 376, we hear the violinist and pianist, perhaps for the first time, as equal partners in a continuous, even-handed dialogue.  

Written seven years after his previous cello sonata, Beethoven’s C major cello sonata, Op. 102, No. 1, is often regarded as the first piece from his “late period.” This baroque-inspired sonata in two movements epitomizes the intense emotional contrast and dramatic character shifts of this compositional period. 

In 1890, Brahms intended to retire from composition, but the artistry of clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld inspired him to write several chamber works for clarinet over the next few years. These include the magisterial Quintet in B minor, the A minor trio, and two landmark sonatas. The Clarinet Sonata in Eb major, Op. 120, No. 2, reveals both Brahms’ fascination with the instrument’s sound and the defining characteristics of his late style: intimacy, refinement, and deep introspection. 


PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756–1791)

Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano, K. 376 (1781)

Paul Huang, violin; Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

Ludwig van Beethoven

(1770–1827)

Sonata in C major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 1 (1815)

Paul Watkins, cello; Alessio Bax, piano

Johannes Brahms

(1833–1897)

Sonata in E-flat major for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2 (1894)

Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Wu Qian, piano

 
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Paul Huang

Violin

Anne-Marie McDermott

Piano
Paul Marc Mitchell

Paul Watkins

Cello

Alessio Bax

Piano

Wu Qian

Piano