The year of 1953 might go down in the annals of History as the year of the death of Stalin but the music-world will remember it as the year of Prokofiev’s death. One might be surprised, though, with the connection that Mendelssohn has to 1953: while David Oistrakh was playing in Prokofiev’s funeral, Yehudi Menuhin was busy resurrecting Mendelssohn, with the newly rediscovered F Major Violin Sonata.

 

Written in 1838, nine years prior to Mendelssohn’s death, the F Major Sonata is arguably the epitome of his violin and piano output. Being the last of his three works for that pairing, the sonata stands out with its imposing character and lyrical melodies interleaved with lively jests of technical prowess, leaving one to wonder how the work remained in obscurity for over a century.

 

Originally written for flute and piano, Prokofiev’s Second Violin Sonata was coincidentally also written nine years before his passing. Regardless of its wartime conception, the piece’s four movements seem to burst with jollity and youthful energy, possessing the comical sarcastic tone as well as the melodious lyricism one would expect to encounter in a work by the Russian composer, culminating in a final ecstatic blast.

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