Prokofiev, Ravel
Talas, Kainrath, Prihodko

Ruslan Talas, violin
Julian Kainrath, violin
Mark Prihodko, cello

S. Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Sonata for two violins in C major op. 56

M. Ravel (1875-1937)

Sonata for violin and cello in C major

40’ | Admission €8

The encounter between Sergei Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel brings together two masterpieces born from a shared challenge: creating a vast and richly layered sonic space using only two string instruments. Both composers choose the brightness of C major, a four-movement structure, and references to folk melody, transforming the limitation of the ensemble into an explosion of energy, virtuosity, and timbral invention that, in the intimate setting of the Rotonda di San Lorenzo, acquires an almost theatrical intensity.

In the Sonata for two violins, Prokofiev seems to evoke the full sonority of a keyboard through the mere interplay of strings: double stops, pizzicatos, harmonics, and dynamic contrasts build a dense and incisive texture that recalls the severity of the Baroque sonata while speaking a thoroughly modern language. Ravel’s Sonata for violin and cello instead pushes the two instruments into an extreme confrontation: distant registers, rapid imitative passages, sudden silences, and harmonic overlaps render even C major unstable and ever-changing, turning the chamber dialogue into a continuous sonic tension.

Rather than accompanying the listening experience, these works seem to stage a true musical “duel”: a tight confrontation in which the instruments chase, challenge, and ultimately merge with one another, revealing how even with reduced forces music can achieve extraordinary expressive power.

Text curated by Martina Sangermano