12 Sonatas for Violin and Cello Continuo (Volume 2)
Instrumentation: Violin, Cello
 
Duration: 30:00
PDF digital download.
Performance Rights through BMI.
Hear a demo of one of the movements here.
 
Program Notes:
 
Antonio Vivaldi wrote 12 Sonatas for Violin when he was 27 years old. It only seemed appropriate to repeat the endeavor in the 21st Century. Vivaldi's early sonatas exhibit exquisite contrapuntal interplay between the solo part and the continuo. Because of this, it is very natural to perform them as a duet. I took that idea and ran with it, creating a continuo part for my new 12 Sonatas that shares similar weight and importance with the solo (although there is certainly no equality between roles). The result is that the new and the old share the same vibe, even though the modern voice is somewhat changed from three hundred years ago. The 12 Crosmer Sonatas share length, key, form, and sometimes even small melodic motives, with the Vivaldi sonatas. Beyond that, they encompass a newer harmonic idiom that leads to many unexpected places. It would be interesting to perform the two sets side-by-side, which could in a way freshen both sides of the musical coin.
 
The 12 Sonatas were written for violinist Grace Kim in 2015.