Here’s my favorite of the three romances written by female composer Clara Schumann (1819-1896). 

Inspired by Josef Szigeti’s performance of the A minor solo sonata by J.S. Bach, Ysaÿe’s sonata combines virtuoso technique with polyphonic writing. I love these sonatas for their unique harmonic ideas, dramatic virtuosity and many sound colors. 

One of the most challenging works ever written for violin, this soundbite is from the CD premiere of Sungji Hong’s “Flash,” which explores new boundaries for the violin by mimicking the static electricity of a lightning storm.

Part of the learning experience at YSU is faculty and graduate student collaborations. Here’s a recording of Ravel’s string quartet from Spring of 2022. An interesting bit of trivia is that the quartet was originally premiered by an all-female string quartet in Paris.

Doppelgänger Streets, by Bobby Ge, is based on a novel about two identical cities that exist in alternate dimensions. You can hear the eerie lens of the two realities, one dimension as the violin, the other as the recorded tape. This work was commissioned for The Tiger and the Clover.