Biber Rosary Sonatas Rachel Podger

Biber's Mystery (or Rosary) Sonatas were originally written to be played during Mass in Salzburg. Set to be recorded in early 2015 and released shortly after by Channel Classics, Rachel will tour a programme of half of the sonatas through 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Depicting the main stories in the life of Christ, the sonatas are extremely evocative and could be performed in a sacred space using the Stations of the Cross, and/ or include suitable lighting to enhance the performance.

The music on this recording demonstrates how composers in Germany, Italy, Austria and England responded to the challenges of writing for violin senza basso. Music for violin senza basso had a distinguished history before Bach and was widely cultivated by his contemporaries. Violinistic virtuosity was extraordinarily experimental in the late seventeenth century, with novelties in the tuning of the strings (scordaura), bowing techniques, chordal playing and contrapuntal textures (with the development of sophisticated double-, triple- and quadruple-stopping techniques) and playing in high positions. This disc of solo violin music is a real mixture of some of Rachel’s favourite pieces. Rachel Podger is one of the most creative talents to emerge in the field of period performance. Over the last two decades she has established herself as a leading interpreter of the music of the Baroque and Classical periods.