Franz Schubert Birthday Celebration

Like his great countryman and predecessor, Mozart, Schubert was a superb violinist and pianist, and his chamber compositions for the two instruments reflect his consummate understanding and mastery of their expressive and technical possibilities. His works for violin and piano (as in the case of Mozart) span the full range of his brief, yet prolific lifetime—from the youthful and charming early sonatas (incorrectly labeled "sonatinas" by Diabelli, his first publisher, in a deliberate marketing strategy targeting amateur musicians) to the brilliant, complex, and highly virtuoso Rondo and Fantasy of his last years.