Zwolf Variationen F-Dur Uber 'Se voul ballare' aus 'Le Nozze di Figaro' von W.A. Mozart, WoO 40
Sonata for piano and violin in D-dur, Op. 12/1
Sonata for piano and violin in A-Dur, Op. 12/2
Sonata for piano and violin in Es-Dur, Op. 12/3

It is not surprising, then, that many of Beethoven’s unpublished and rarely performed juvenilia were written for the violin and the piano. Upon his arrival in Vienna in 1792, the 22-year-old Beethoven carried, among other things, an unfinished set of variations for piano and violin, which he intended to present to his future teacher Joseph Haydn. The theme of the variations, the aria Se vuol ballare from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, was highly popular in Vienna, and Beethoven’s choice was certain to garner the attention of the city’s demanding audiences. The theme is presented in pizzicato by the violin, in imitation of the guitar referenced by Figaro. However, Beethoven soon departs from the melody’s original contour, a trend that continues in the eleven variations and two minores that follow. Equally striking are the many pianistic effects, particularly the long trills in the coda section, which Beethoven added in Vienna.

“When Kamilla Schatz plays the violin, she becomes one with her instrument; she revels and sings” with these words the Berliner Tagesspiegel hailed the debut of Swiss violinist Kamilla Schatz at Berlin’s Philharmonie Concert Hall. Since then, she has appeared as a soloist with the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, the SWR Symphony Orchestra Freiburg/Baden-Baden, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, The Northern Sinfonia, Stadtorchester Winterthur, and the Basel Symphony Orchestra. She performed as a chamber musician at the Berliner Festwochen, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Lucerne Festival.

Benjamin Engeli is one of the most versatile musicians of his generation. His career as a soloist and chamber musician has taken him to venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall, Hamer Hall Melbourne, the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai’s Oriental Arts Centre, the Vancouver Playhouse and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. He has performed with orchestras such as the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.

(excerpts for booklet)

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Recording: Radio Studio 1, Zürich, 06.–08.12.2016. Piano: Steinway D Nr. 530330