Violon + Violine + Violino + Sonate + Suonte + Sonaten

This excellent disc brings together, as far as I know, all of Ravel's chamber music for the violin with various one-instrument accompaniment (and in the case of the sonata for violin and cello not merely accompaniment). It is, quite simply, a delight from beginning to end. To start with the shorter works, the Kaddisch and Berceuse are poignantly played and the Habanera is lightly and subtly varied in texture and color. Juillet's singing, smooth tone is as deliciously perfect as I could possibly imagine, and the playing is, even more importantly, exquisitely phrased.

Sur les traces de Salomone Rossi « Hebreo » le musicien juif de Mantoue
Avril 1671, quelques jours avant Pâques et Pessah.
Naître avec le don de la musique dans un lieu et à une époque où cet art n’a pas sa place, plus précisément ici, dans les synagogues du Comtat Venaissin, voilà qui déchire le cœur du jeune Abraham, habitant de « la carrièro di Jusiéus » — la rue des Juifs —, un boyau sordide où sont relégués les Juifs de Carpentras depuis 1461. …

Dresden’s image as the fosterer of a musical golden age during the 18th century is assured, today more than ever, thanks to the almost perfect preservation of the music of that period. So far as the 17th century is concerned, however, the picture is much bleaker: the bombardment of the town by Friedrich II of Brandenburg- Prussia (during the Seven Years’ War in 1760), destroyed not only the residence of Johann Adolf Hasse (whom Friedrich admired passionately), along with the engravings for the planned complete edition of his works by the Leipzig publisher Breitkopf, but also the archive in which a selection of the music of the court chapel was stored.

Arcangelo Corelli - Sonate a violino e violone o cimballo op.V
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 404 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMA 1951307 | Country/Year: France 2000, 1989
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque, Chamber

"Ensemble 415 is a chamber ensemble devoted largely to the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. The numerical reference in the group's name derives from the pitch used for tuning instruments in the Baroque era. In performing chamber music, Ensemble 415 consists of just a few players, but for larger compositions, the number expands to a minimum of 13 and can reach up to as high as 40 performers. The ensemble's repertory has been broad over the years, taking in many Baroque standards by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, as well as lesser known fare by Muffat and others…"

Even in a field overcrowded with noteworthy editions of the Bach Sonatas for violin and harpsichord, these 1995 recordings maintain permanent status on my shelves. Fabio Biondi's fiddling is thoroughly steeped in the grammar of period performance yet avoids the exaggerated agogics, metronomic facelessness, and wimpy tonal qualities we often put up with in the name of authenticity. Abetted by Rinaldo Alessandrini's imaginative partnering, Biondi's characterful, singing sonority puts a fresh spin on every phrase. His improvised embellishments, no matter how audacious they sound at first, always arise out of an organic response to the music's spirit.