Violinist Sarah Westwick and pianist Stephen Smith present a recital exploring contrasting yet connected visions of the Romantic tradition.
The programme pairs Johannes Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78, with Dora Pejačević’s Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 43. Pejačević (1885–1923), a pioneering Croatian composer who is widely recognized as one of the first significant female composers in Croatia and among the most important European women composers of the early 20th century. Her sonata, composed during the First World War, blends late-Romantic lyricism with intense passion and Slavic-inspired rhythmic and harmonic textures, bringing a powerful and historically meaningful voice to Vancouver audiences. Together, these sonatas form a compelling dialogue between inward reflection and expansive passion. Brahms offers structural clarity and lyrical restraint, while Pejačević opens a more turbulent and expressive sound world. Heard side by side, they reveal a continuum of Romantic expression that bridges the familiar and the rediscovered.