Grisvard Berliner

This CD offers a glimpse at the work of long-term collaborators Sabrina Frey and Philippe Grisvard. Frey and Grisvard present a program for recorder and harpsichord that exploits the tonal and interpretative registers of these two instruments.

Karl Fasch, the son of the famous Kapellmeister of the court of Zerbst, Johann Friedrich Fasch, was harpsichordist at the Prussian court from 1756 until his death. Underemployed by Friedrich II and underestimated by musicologists, he has been forgotten for a long time. Philippe Grisvard is preparing to rectify this injustice with a program consisting of world-premiere recordings that will make it possible to discover an original and visionary composer. The Arts Desk said of Grisvard's previous release on Audax of Handel's keyboard works: 'And what Grisvard does so well is recreate what a contemporary observer described as Handel's uncommon brilliance and command of finger that amazing force and energy.

The Violin sonata in D major (HWV 371) was composed (c. 1749-50) by George Frideric Handel, for violin and keyboard (harpsichord). Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xxvii,47; and HHA iv/4,28. This sonata represents Handel's last piece of chamber music. The piece was not published by Walsh. The designation Opus 1 No.13 was first made in the Chrysander edition. A typical performance of the work takes about twelve minutes.

This CD offers a glimpse at the work of long-term collaborators Sabrina Frey and Philippe Grisvard. Frey and Grisvard present a program for recorder and harpsichord that exploits the tonal and interpretative registers of these two instruments.

The repertoire of this CD guides us elegantly through all of these themes with an abundance and liveliness that only active music listening can give us. The following paragraphs are intended to provide background information and to narrate stories about the composers who enhanced music during the first decades of the Enlightenment – without striving to replace the live musical experience.