What a joy it is to still be playing this vast, rich, and colourful repertoire with my friends, and colleagues from as far flung as Australia, to Canada, Europe and soon Asia.



The Mystery of the Mysteries

The Mystery of the Mysteries

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber

12 August, 1644 - died 3 May, 1704

Mystery Sonatas, Rosary sonatas:

(Mysterien Sonaten, Die Rosenkranz-Sonaten) For violin and Basso Continuo 

The Mystery Tour, Meditations on the Rosary

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Mystery Sonatas


Biber more than adequately illustrates this, a harmonic journey into a mysterious world of prayer and meditation, on the mysteries surrounding the birth, life and death of Christ.

'The Feast of the Rosary'

"The Rosary", says the Roman Breviary, "is a certain form of prayer,

an antidote to heresy and sin.

It is believed that Heaven has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse to this devotion in times of special danger.

The First week of October was designated from the late 16thcentury throughout Catholic Europe, the time to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, faith over unbelief, by processions, and devotions.

These 16 Sonatas are exquisite spiritual examples of the devotional writings of Heinrich Biber, at the service of the greater power in which he had such a profound belief.

 

6 x 6 x 6 Johan Sebastian Bach

Inspiring and wonderful programmes made uniquely from:

The Great collections of 6

6 Partitas and Sonatas for Violin alone.

6 Sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord

6 Partitas for harpsichord alone

with - as an honoured guest:

6 Suites for Cello alone, with Jaap ter Linden, cello.

An infinity of combinations, everyone's favourites!

 

 

Handel, Handel and Handel?

 

 

A night at the opera- perhaps…

 

 

 

 

 

Featuring his opera

Athalia

Parnasso in festa

Alcina

Radamisto

Esther

Theodora

Jeptha

Acis and Galatea

'The harmonious blacksmith'- not an opera!

Il pastor fido

Amadigi

Flavio

Rodelinda

Riccardo Primo

Rinaldo

Floridante

Radamisto

Muzio Scevola

 

Read on!

HWV 399: Trio Sonata in G major, Op 5 No 4 for 2 treble instruments

Published: 1739

Borrowings:

"Allegro" from the ouverture to Athalia

"A tempo ordinario" from both Athalia and the serenade Parnasso in festa

"Passacaille" was originally one of the dances written for Radamisto

"Gigue" is borrowed from the divertimento, Terpsichore

Menuet is borrowed from the ballet music in Alcina

HWV 378: Flute Sonata in D major

Perhaps by Johann Sigismund Weiss, c. 1690-1737). Composed: circa 1707

Borrowings: Handel reused the opening theme in two other sonatas: first in the central Largo of the Flute Sonata in E-minor, and secondly in one of his latest instrumental works, the Violin Sonata in D Major

Notes: No autograph- but MS of 18th Century solo sonatas in the Brussels Royal Conservatory, published in facsimile in 1979, and is there attributed to 'Sr Weisse'. The attributions are unreliable however, and David Lasocki and Terence Best have reassigned the sonata to Handel.

HWV 430: Suite de pièce in E major for harpsichord, Vol 1 No 5

The Harmonious Blacksmith or Air and Variations in E major

Published: 1720

HWV 371: Violin Sonata in D major

Circa 1749-50

contemporary with the oratorioTheodora

Borrowings:

Handel reused the final movement as a Sinfonia in the last act of his oratorio Jephtha.

 The opening Affetuoso has already appeared in two earlier solo sonatas: the recently discovered Flute Sonata in D and the 5-movement Flute Sonata in E minor.

The Larghetto is constructed out of motifs from the two arias, Lascia omai from the cantata Il Delirio Amoroso and Nube che il sole from Riccardo Primo

Final chorus of Acis and Galatea

This sonata represents Handel's last piece of chamber music.

Interval

HWV 395: Handel, or is it:

Trio Sonata in E minor, for flute, violin and bass continuo

Probably composed by Johann Adolph Hasse(1699-1783)!

HWV 359a: Violin Sonata in D minor

Composed: circa 1724

Borrowings:

The original version of the Flute Sonata in E minor, Op 1 No 1b (HWV 359b).

Handel reused the first and last movements in the E minor flute sonata.

Notes: The D minor sonata, headed "Sonata 2", follows the G minor sonata in the Fitzwilliam Museum autograph. Originally written for violin and published in two different E minor versions for the flute. See Flute Sonata in E minor, Op 1 No 1b (HWV 359b)

HWV 359b: Flute Sonata in E minor, Op 1 No 1b

Composed: circa 1724

Published: 1732

Borrowings: The original version of this is the Violin Sonata in D minor HWV 359a.

Notes: Of the two sonatas published by Chrysander as Op 1 No 1, this is the one in the original edition, Chrysander's No. 1A being taken from MSS, they have in common only the opening and closing movements.

There is more!

 

HWV 456: Keyboard arrangements for overtures to Italian operas

Composed: circa 1720-7

Notes: Autograph survives.

HWV 456.1: Overture to "Il pastor fido"

HWV 456.2: Overture to "Amadigi"

HWV 456.3: Overture to "Flavio"

HWV 456.4: Overture to "Rodelinda"

HWV 456.5: Overture to "Riccardo Primo"

HWV 464: Air in F major Composed: circa 1724-6

Notes: Version of Air from the "Water Music"

HWV 389: Trio Sonata in F major, Op 2 No 4, for violin, flute and basso continuo - Op. 2 No 5 Chrysander's "G. F. Handel's Werke,"

Composed: circa 1718-22 Published: 1733

The Larghetto appears in the overture to Esther