Violin Concerto No.2 - Solo Violin Sonata Op.115

Viktoria Mullova joins the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by Paavo Järvi, for a recording of music by Sergei Prokofiev. Robert Soetens premièred the Duo Sonata in Paris in December 1932, partnered by Samuel Dushkin, for whom Stravinsky had recently composed a violin concerto. Knowing of Prokofiev's rivalry with Stravinsky, Soetens persuaded Prokofiev to write him a concerto. Composed in 1935 just before Prokofiev resettled in Soviet Russia, the Violin Concerto No. 2 includes in it's central movement one of his most celebrated long-arching melodies. The Solo Sonata was an official commission towards the end of Prokofiev's life. Originally intended for an ensemble of talented child violinists, Prokofiev wrote the work that it could also be played by a soloist.