Violin Masters of the 17th Century

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SCHMELZER / von WESTHOFF / von BIBER / MATTEIS
Violin Masters of the 17th Century
Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin)

[ Hyperion / CD ]

Release Date: Sunday 23 June 2002

This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.

An anthology of virtuoso solo violin music by 17th Century composers

Elizabeth Wallfisch has recorded many critically acclaimed CDs for Hyperion, both as a chamber musician and as a soloist. As with her previous disc on Hyperion of unaccompanied music (Bach Sonatas and Partitas, CDD22009) this disc gives the listener the opportunity to appreciate every nuance, every flourish, every virtuosic display, every inflection of tone and colour that Ms Wallfisch exudes so exquisitely and effortlessly from her instrument.
Biber's 'Mystery' or 'Rosary' sonatas were written using the then-popular scordatura technique of mis-tuning the violin to emphasise the resonance of a particular key, and the Passacaglia is the only movement from the set that uses normal tuning. Westhoff's collection of six suites was published in Dresden in 1697. Possibly the first collection devoted entirely to music for unaccompanied violin, it has often been thought of as the model for Bach's solo violin music. The works by Schmelzer and Matteis were originally scored for multiple instruments, and Wallfisch has made solo violin versions for this recording, skilfully incorporating the bass line to create a richly polyphonic texture.

Each of the composers presented here were violin virtuosos of their time, and would surely cherish such a supreme exponent to display their art today.

Tracks:

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber:
Passacaglia in G minor
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer:
Sonata Quarta in D major
Johann Paul von Westhoff:
Suite I
Suite II
Suite IV
Suite V
Suite VI
Nicola Matteis:
Musica grave
Andamento malinconico
Fantasia in B flat major
Alemanda facile
Scaramuccia