IBS Classical presents a distinguished new release featuring violinist Valerie Steenken and pianist Ricardo AlÃ Alvarez, performing three major violin sonatas by Richard Strauss, Ottorino Respighi, and Manuel M. Ponce. Conceived as a journey across German, Italian, and Mexican traditions, the programme bridges late-Romantic lyricism and early-twentieth-century modern expressivity.Strauss's youthful Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18, combines soaring melodic invention with symphonic breadth, while Respighi's Sonata in B minor unfolds as a grand, rhetorically charged architecture culminating in a majestic Passacaglia. Ponce's Sonata breve, written in Paris in 1930, distills neoclassical elegance and Mexican lyricism into a concise yet refined statement of style.In this recording, Valerie Steenken (Concertmaster of Spanish National Orchestra) and Ricardo AlÃ Alvarez (Professor at Reina SofÃa School) offer performances of exceptional unity and insight. Steenken's luminous tone, phrasing of great naturalness, and expressive precision find in Alvarez's pianism an ideal counterpart-sensitive, detailed, and dynamically sculpted. Their dialogue reveals a profound understanding of structure and sound, bringing each work's emotional core vividly to life. Through this project, IBS Classical reaffirms it's dedication to artistic excellence and to the renewal of essential chamber repertoire for violin and piano, presented here in a performance of rare coherence and expressive depth.

Tracklist:

Violin Sonata in B minor, P 110-I. Moderato
Violin Sonata in B minor, P 110-II. Andante Espressivo
Violin Sonata in B minor, P 110-III. Passacaglia. Allegro Moderato Ma Energico
Sonata Breve for Violin ; Piano-I. Allegretto Mosso
Sonata Breve for Violin ; Piano-II. Adagio
Sonata Breve for Violin ; Piano-III. Allegro Alla Spagnuola
Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18-I. Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18-II. Improvisation: Andante Cantabile
Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18-III. Finale: Andante - Allegro

UPC: 8436597701105
Label: Ibs Classical
Release Date: 5.1.26
Format: CD

Valerie Steenken - Strauss Respighi & Ponce: Violin Sonatas (CD)