Search - Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Sonnerie :: Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber: The Mystery Sonatas, Vol. 1, Nos. 1-9

You've come a long way, Biber!

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 10/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard the Rosary sonatas in a small church in Cambridge MA sometime in the Jurassic 60s or 70s. At that time, only one performance of any Biber was available on vinyl LP. Now there are recordings of the Rosary by baroque violinists R Goebel, A Manze, J Holloway, S Lautenbacher, and perhaps others. None of them are unworthy of your ears. Goebel has set the standard for virtuosity, but the CDs are currently prohibitively expensive. There are two performances by Manze, both strong candidates for your listening time. The performance by Holloway is quite affective, as one might expect, and soulful, but some people have found the harpsichord continuo excessively dry. My own preference for continuo is the full-bodied sound of organ and archlute, or harpsichord and cello.

Monica Huggett's performance is, to my ears, the most satisfying of all, though her fiercest tonal effects may not please everyone on first listening. Of all the interpretations, including Goebel's, Huggett's is the most dramatic, the most expressive of the passion narrative. I don't usually look for religious intensity in my choices of Baroque music, not even in Bach, since I'm not religious, but in this case I find myself moved and compelled to listen emotionally to music which can otherwise sound rather formalistic.

Nota bene: This is only volume one of the Rosary sonatas, so if price is a consideration, you'll have to check elsewhere. I believe the quite fine performance by S Lautenbacher is the cheapest available."