Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata #9 op.47 is commonly called by its nickname, the Kreutzer Sonata. Beethoven dedicated it to French violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831) who, by the way, didn’t even like the technically challenging composition! The Sonata is ALSO referred to as the Bridgetower Sonata, because it was originally dedicated to violinist George Bridgetower (1778–1860), a virtuoso British musician of African descent. Today’s Beautiful Music features violinist Randall Goosby and pianist Zhu Wang performing Beethoven’s Bridgetower Sonata.