Rondo in B minor Op.70 D 895 for Violin & Piano

Schubert Rondo in B minor Op.70 D 895 for Violin & Piano

The Rondo in B minor, D 895, was written in 1826 and published the following year by Artaria & Co. as Rondeau brillant pour Pianoforte et Violon ... Op.70.  As reported by Kreissle, it was performed in the composer’s presence, presumably for the first time, early in 1827 at the publisher’s premises, with Josef Slawjk playing the violin and Karl Maria von Bocklet playing the piano.  One year later, on 7 June 1828, the first detailed review of the work appeared in the Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst:

“The glorious talent of this well known and highly esteemed composer of lieder and romances is many-sided and tries its hand in all fields, as do all spirits imbued with a genuine and aspiring energy.  The present work shows the bold master of harmony ... A fiery imagination pervades this piece of music ..."

- Urtext of the New Schubert Edition