Beethoven: Three Sonatas for Piano and Violin

TACOMA, Wash. – In a short and transformative period, Ludwig van Beethoven composed nine sonatas for piano and violin—then a decade later, he wrote one more. For many musicians and critics, these 10 sonatas are the most important body of work ever created for piano and violin.

Among those sharing that view is Tanya Stambuk, professor of piano at University of Puget Sound, who, along with guest artist Brittany Boulding, violin, will perform three of these memorable works for Tacoma audiences.

The concert, Beethoven, will take place at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 10, in Schneebeck Concert Hall, near the corner of North Union Avenue and North 14th Street, on the college campus. Everyone is welcome to come, and ticket information is below.

“Each of the three sonatas we will be performing is a masterpiece, full of expression and impeccable construction, where piano and violin are treated as equal partners,” Stambuk said.

According to British pianist Daniel Tong, the sonatas “give a particular insight into Beethoven as a young man, full of confidence as a composer and pianist, and blazing a trail for a new way forward.”

Stambuk and Boulding will open the night with Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Opus 12 and Sonata No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Opus 12. The two works, composed in 1799, are dedicated to Italian composer and conductor Antonio Salieri, who was a teacher to Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and Franz Schubert. These two pieces will be followed by Beethoven’s Sonata No. 5 in F major, Opus 24, or Spring Sonata.

The popular Spring Sonata was composed in 1801, when Beethoven was about 31 years old. The first violin sonata to contain four movements, its allegro movement can be recognized in the dance class scene in the stage show Fame.

Tanya Stambuk, piano, has appeared internationally as a guest soloist with orchestras including Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, in France; Virginia Symphony Orchestra; Civic Orchestra of Chicago; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, in Norway; and the Seattle Symphony. She has performed on radio in New York City, Moscow, and Croatia, and she appeared in the television program In Praise of Women Pianists. She has played at venues including Merkin Concert Hall, in New York City; Academy of Music, in Philadelphia; The Phillips Collection, in Washington, D.C.; and the Chicago Cultural Center. Stambuk recorded the piano works of Norman Dello Joio, and won the international piano competition at the Auditório Nacional Carlos Alberto, in Portugal. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Rutgers University.

Brittany Boulding, violin, has performed as a soloist with orchestras across the United States and abroad, including Northwest Sinfonietta; Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra; Seattle Festival Orchestra; New Haven Symphony Orchestra, in Connecticut; National Repertory Orchestra, of Colorado; Orquesta de Cámara Concierto Sur, of Cuba; and at the Spoleto Festival USA, in South Carolina. She is a member of Finisterra Trio, Seattle Symphony, and Seattle Opera. She also has performed as concertmaster across the country and abroad, and currently serves as concertmaster of the Northwest Sinfonietta and Auburn Symphony Orchestra. Boulding studied at Rice University and the Colburn School, in Los Angeles.

The Jacobsen Series, named in honor of Leonard Jacobsen, former chair of the piano department at Puget Sound, has been running since 1984. The Jacobsen Series Scholarship Fund awards annual music scholarships to outstanding student performers and scholars. The fund is sustained entirely by season subscribers and ticket sales.

FOR TICKETS: Tickets are available online at tickets.pugetsound.edu, or at Wheelock Information Center, 253.879.3100. Admission is $15 for the general public; $10 for seniors (55+), students, military, and Puget Sound faculty and staff. The concert is free for current Puget Sound students. Group ticket rates are available for parties of 10 or more by calling 253.879.3555 in advance. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.

For directions and a map of the campus: pugetsound.edu/directions 
For accessibility information please contact accessibility@pugetsound.edu or 253.879.3931, or visit pugetsound.edu/accessibility.

Press photos of Tanya Stambuk and Brittany Boulding can be downloaded from pugetsound.edu/pressphotos.
Photos on page: From top right: Beethoven in 1801, by Carl Traugott Riedel (More information); Tanya Stambuk; Brittany Boulding.

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