Anton Rubinstein; Alexander Winkler - Sonatas for Viola and Piano (Luca Sanzò; Maurizio Paciariello)

Information

Composer: Anton Rubinstein; Alexander Winkler

• Rubinstein - Viola Sonata in F Minor, Op. 49
• Winkler - Viola Sonata in C Minor, Op. 10

Luca Sanzò, viola

Maurizio Paciariello, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Brilliant Classics

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This album demonstrates how Anton Rubinstein and Alexander Winkler advanced Russian Romantic chamber music through their contrasting yet complementary viola and piano sonatas. Rubinstein (1829–1894), a titan of the Russian conservatory system, utilized a sweeping European Romantic sensibility influenced by Mendelssohn and Brahms. His sonata treats the viola as a fully expressive, dramatic partner, emphasizing its warm timbre and emotional weight. Conversely, Winkler (1865–1935) offers a more refined, introspective approach rooted in Classical balance. His sonata favors structural clarity, contrapuntal mastery, and intimate instrumental dialogue over virtuosic display, beautifully balancing Romantic warmth with textural transparency.

A pupil of Bruno Giuranna, violist Luca Sanzò has established a distinguished international concert career performing as both a soloist and principal viola for elite ensembles, including the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and Concerto Italiano. Currently a professor of viola at Rome's Conservatorio di S. Cecilia, Sanzò boasts an extensive discography with major labels such as Naxos, Chandos, and Stradivarius. Collaborating with him is Italian pianist Maurizio Paciariello, a prize winner of the prestigious ARD Competition who studied under legends Aldo Ciccolini and Paul Badura-Skoda. Paciariello is widely recognized as a champion of rare repertoire and a specialist in historical period instruments.