Violinist Sergey Khachatryan’s New Album, "Ysaÿe VI Sonatas"

Released on Naïve Records, the album features Ysaÿe's six violin sonatas recorded on the composer's own Guarneri del Gèsu

Violinist Sergey Khachatryan has released his new album, Ysaÿe VI Sonatas, on Naïve Records. The album features a world premiere recording of Eugène Ysaÿe's six solo violin sonatas recorded on Ysaÿe's own Guarneri del Gèsu "Ysaÿe."

Ysaÿe's set of six solo violin sonatas was completed in 1923, each dedicated to a violinist of his time. Sonata No. 1 was dedicated to violinist Joseph Szigeti, No. 2 was for Jacques Thibaud, No. 3 for George Enescu, No. 4 for Fritz Kreisler, No. 5 for Mathieu Crickboom, and No. 6 was for Manuel Quiroga.

Drawing inspiration from Szigeti's performance of JS Bach's Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, Ysaÿe's collection of six sonatas came to fruition. Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin also presented a set of six works that Ysaÿe replicated. Ysaÿe's Sonata No. 2 in A Minor also quotes Bach's Solo Partita in E Major in the first movement.

Intending to present the evolution of music and 20th-century features in the set, Ysaÿe incorporated composition techniques such as the whole tone scale and dissonances.

Listen to Ysaÿe's Solo Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor below

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Violinist Sergey Khachatryan won First Prize at the VIII International Jean Sibelius Competition in Helsinki in 2000, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the competition. Later in 2005, he won First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. His 2024 season includes performances with the Belgian National Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Bochumer Symphoniker, and solo recitals.