Igudesman, Aleksey - Beethoven & More

With his “reinventions” of some of Beethoven’s best-known works, Aleksey Igudesman has surpassed himself. These violin duets can best be described as “wicked”, using both the original sense of the word and its later teenagers’ meaning! The fun starts with a version of “Moonlight Sonata”, played mostly pizzicato (and mercifully transposed from C# minor to A minor). Then we pass through Turkey with a funked up version of the Turkish March and come to “Für Elise”, where Aleksey daringly claims to make it more emotional, intimate and epic. After that, the Spring Sonata becomes a “Spring Sonatina”, albeit with the addition of some unexpected chromatic scales. Finally, we arrive at “Beethoven Takes Five”. Does the title give you a clue? Yes, it’s the monumental Fifth Symphony but with five beats to the bar. But that’s not enough for Aleksey – he turns it into Mexican music, jazz, latin and swing and, in his own words, adds “all sorts of other abominations on top”. Dare you open this book? Love it or hate it, you will have fun!

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CONTENTS

• Igudesman AlekseyIn the Moonlight
• Igudesman AlekseyTurkish alla Ludwig
• Igudesman AlekseyFor a Lease
• Igudesman AlekseySpring Sonatina
• Igudesman AlekseyBeethoven Takes Five