As one of the greatest violin virtuosos, Eugene Ysaÿe inspired the world. He was also a compassionate chamber musician, great teacher and fascinating conductor. It was after his return to Belgium in July 1923, when, at the age of 65 Ysaÿe wrote his best-known work: the Six Sonatas for violin solo Op.27, each of them dedicated to a European violinist. Like the Solo sonatas and Partitas of Bach and like the 24 Capricci of Paganini, Ysaÿe’s sonatas demonstrate not only astonishing technical innovations, but are also a powerful poetic expression of his time. On his new release Sergey Malov combines Ysaÿe’s violin sonatas with works by Bach and those European violinists, to whom these sonatas are dedicated.
