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Masterclass: Beethoven Violin Sonata No.9 ‘Kreutzer’, first movement

2025-08-08T08:48:00

KristinLee2022_byLaurenDesberg5

Capturing the music’s sense of tumultuous energy is key to portraying Beethoven’s unpredictable character in this movement, says violinist Kristin Lee

Despite its nickname, this work was not premiered by Rodolphe Kreutzer, but by George Bridgetower. Beethoven originally dedicated the piece to Bridgetower, but later withdrew the dedication following a personal dispute. Instead, Beethoven renamed it after Kreutzer who, ironically, never performed the piece. During the premiere, it is believed that both Beethoven and Bridgetower engaged in a fair amount of improvisation, and one can sense from Beethoven’s original manuscript that he was racing to complete the work in time…

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