As a (former) violinist, I cannot leave this period without paying homage to one of the great violin sonatas ever composed, Beethoven’s Kreutzer.  In this piece, written more or less contemporaneously with his Third Symphony, Beethoven begins to emerge as a new artist altogether.  I’ve often described him as music’s first punk—smashing the same chord … Continue reading The Strange Tale of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata →