Mozart Among Friends Marilyn McDonald & James Howsmon

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Violin Sonata No. 27 in G Major, Op. 2 No. 5, K. 379:
• 1 I. Adagio - Allegro 09:34
• 2 II. Theme & Variations. Andantino cantabile - III. Allegretto 09:29
• Violin Sonata No. 25 in F Major, Op. 2 No. 3, K. 377:
• 3 I. Allegro 06:32
• 4 II. Theme & Variations. Andante 09:01
• 5 III. Tempo di Menuetto 05:33
• Violin Sonata No. 35 in A Major, K. 526:
• 6 I. Molto allegro 07:06
• 7 II. Andante 06:48
• 8 III. Presto 07:38
• Total Runtime 01:01:41

Info for Mozart Among Friends

After performing the complete set of Mozart Sonatas for pianoforte and violin together, pianist James Howsmon and violinist Marilyn McDonald longed to relive three lesser-known gems. Perhaps smaller in scope but not in creativity, the sonatas that make up Mozart Among Friends wonderfully reveal the full range of Mozart's genius. The recording opens with the tempestuous Sonata in G major, K. 379, with its turbulent minor-key Allegro movement bookended by a florid Adagio in G major and a set of variations on a cheerful theme. It is followed by the Sonata in F major, K. 377, in which Mozart revived an old tradition from his youth: incorporating a minuet as finale, signaling a release of tension as the piece progresses from its energetic opening movements to its elegant conclusion. Completing the program is the Sonata in A major, K. 526, which reveals the ''emancipation'' of the violin from the piano, a device employed by Haydn at the time and incorporated into Mozart's string quartets and his three Viennese sonatas, of which this was the third. It depicts what many believe to be Mozart at his finest, from his unerring sense of texture to his seemingly endless font of melody. As the artists' notes explain, the title is a sort of double entendre: ''Mozart Among Friends'' refers to the customd uring Mozart's time of hosting home performances for loved ones; it also honors the friendship of the two longtime collaborators, Oberlin Conservatory faculty members Howsmon and McDonald, as well as their late friend, painter Leslie Miller, whose artwork graces the cover of the recording.

Marilyn McDonald, violin
James Howsmon, piano

Marilyn McDonald
founding member of the Castle Trio and Smithson and Axelrod Quartets, has toured worldwide, playing repertoire that runs the gamut from Baroque to contemporary. She has appeared as soloist with the Milwaukee and Omaha Symphonies, in concert at Caramoor, Utrecht, and Mostly Mozart Festivals among many others. Her recordings are heard on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Virgin Classics, Smithsonian, and Telarc.

She is professor of violin at Oberlin Conservatory and has been artist in residence at Eastman, Indiana, and Boston Universities. Known as “MM” to her students, she is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching award at Oberlin.

Marilyn enjoys keeping in touch with her former students who can be found in orchestras and chamber music groups throughout the world. She’s dreadfully proud of having won the 2009 Oberlin Valentine short story competition and finds kayaking a lot more relaxing than playing the violin.

James Howsmon
pianist, has collaborated in more than 1,000 recitals in North America, Europe, and Japan and has performed with principal players of every major American orchestra. In recent seasons, he has played in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. (at the Kennedy Center), Philadelphia, Dallas, Montreal, and Minneapolis. Highlights of recent seasons include performances of Stravinsky’s Les Noces with the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Boulez; an ongoing series of the complete Mozart sonatas for piano and violin with violinist Marilyn McDonald; and several performances of Schubert’s Die Schöne Müllerin with the prominent basso Robert Holl. He is a frequent performer on Oberlin College’s stages, having recently played the Poulenc Aubade with the Oberlin Wind Ensemble and Olivier Messiaen’s Couleurs de la Cité Celeste with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble. Mr. Howsmon is Professor of Instrumental Accompanying at Oberlin, where he oversees the instrumental collaborative activities of the school’s 100 piano majors. He is also on the faculty of Credo, a summer chamber music program held at Oberlin College. From 1999 to 2006, Mr. Howsmon was on the piano faculty of the Brevard Music Center. He has given guest master classes in accompanying and chamber music at, among others, the Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy, Arizona State University, the University of Colorado, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Alabama.

Booklet for Mozart Among Friends