Mairéad Hickey & Fiachra Garvey "Melodic Masterworks"
SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY, 3.00PM
Mairéad Hickey violin
Fiachra Garvey piano

Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 2 in A major for violin and piano, Op. 100
Deirdre McKay "a quarter million miles from the moon" 
Richard Strauss Sonata in Eb major for violin and piano, Op. 18

Brahms’s Sonata No. 2, nicknamed “Thun” after a holiday he spent at Lake Thun in Switzerland, has been described as being “so full of melodies that one has to be careful not to step on any”, the perfect way to begin a recital dedicated to the power and appeal of beautiful melodies. Strauss was besotted with a soprano when he was writing his violin sonata and these amorous feelings can be heard throughout the work. The sonata places huge demands both lyrically and technically on both the violinist and pianist. McKay’s ethereal work, sandwiched between these two masterworks, offers the perfect calm before the Strauss storm.