Sonata for Violin and Piano ~Among the Ruins~ by Graham Lynch - Sandra Goldberg & Yukie Smith

Recorded live at the Downing Place URC, Cambridge UK on 27 May 2026 Violin: Sandra Goldberg (https://sandragoldbergmusic.com/) Piano: Yukie Smith (https://yukiestpiano.weebly.com/) After a successful performance of a short violin and piano piece written by Graham Lynch in 2024, Sandra Goldberg and I approached him again if he could write a violin sonata for us to premier in 2026. Out came a violin sonata, as imaginative as ever with all the elements I cherish in his music, such as contrapuntal texture, polyrhythmic nature, modal harmony, mosaic structure and most importantly a scope that allows performers to express their own imagination. The sonata consists of three movements, which is subtitled ‘Among the Ruins’, and has a descriptive title on each movement: I: Ekloge, II: Ländler and III. The Thirteenth Returns. After the title page there is a quotation: “Sonate, que me veux-tu?” (Sonate, what do you want of me?) – Fontenelle. It feels that it encapsulates what you’re about to discover in this sonata, pushing its boundary of what is expected in a sonata form. It’s indeed a joyful experience to find nothing but surprises as the music unveils itself through the notes penned by Graham Lynch. What a privilege! Sandra and I both share a mutual habit of taking time when we learn a new piece of music to get truly inside the piece. As Sandra and I live in two different countries, this ‘habit’ of ours is working to a great advantage us as we go through the process of learning the sonata. Although, this was probably the most challenging work that we’ve ever undertaken for the past 7 years of collaborations between us. But we savoured every moment of it, and we very much enjoyed performing it for the public. The sonata had its world premiere in Zurich in April and then in Cambridge in May this year. ________________________________________________________________________________ Audio: Zoom H5 digital recorder (located right in front of the violin on a front seat, hence the piano sounds distant with the lid facing towards the right side of the hall, so it’s not quite what the audience heard according to the member of the audience impression but the sound and the music is there, at least!) Video: Sony HDR-CX405