Johannes Brahms is, undoubtedly, one of the most central characters in 19th century music. A pianist himself, his relation to the violin had a very direct personification in Joseph Joachim, a close friend to whom he dedicated his violin concerto, written while on holiday in the Austrian lake-town of Pörtschach. It was also there that the composer wrote his first sonata for piano and violin, nicknamed Regensonata due to a quotation to Brahms’ Regenlied, capturing the beautiful landscape of the Wörthersee.

Separating the programme in two, the Scherzo is part of a sonata co-authored by Schumann and Dietrich and written as a wedding present for Joachim himself and bearing the violinists motto Frei aber Einsam in its title.

Written by the lake in Thun, the poetic second sonata that later inspired poetry by Widmann, opens the second half of the programme, followed by the monumental D minor sonata, Brahms last instalment for violin and piano, who Clara Wieck mysteriously described as being “a young girl playing with her lover”.