Hans Koessler - Violin Sonata in E minor (1903)

0:00 I. Allegro 8:19 II. Scherzo. Allegretto - Adagio - Allegretto 14:23 III. Finale. Allegro moderato Hans Koessler (1853 -1912) - a cousin of Max Reger, was born in the town of Waldbeck in upper Bavaria. He studied organ and composition with Joseph Rheinberger in Munich, holding a number of positions in Germany before moving to Hungary to become Professor of Organ, Composition and Choral direction at the Music Academy of Budapest in the early 1880's. He stayed there until his retirement in 1908. Bartók, Kodály, Dohnányi, Leo Weiner and Imre Kalman were all among his many students and he was widely regarded as the finest teacher of composition in Austria-Hungary during the 1890's and the first part of the 20th century. Koessler composed over 130 works, including an opera, two symphonies, symphonic variations for orchestra, a violin concerto, two string quartets, a string quintet, a string sextet, a piano quintet, a suite for piano, violin and viola, and a mass for female choir and organ. He also set psalms to music. However, as a result of his erratic way of living, a large number of his compositions were lost, or found themselves only being played in private hands. Ulf Wallin, violin Juri Smirnov, piano