Biber: Rosenkranz-sonaten / Siedel

Annegret Siedel: baroque violins Bell’arte Salzburg Michael Freimuth: theorbo Hermann Hickethier: viola da gamba, violin Margit Schultheiß: organ, baroque harp, harpsichord

BIBER: Sonata I in D Minor: Annunciation • Sonata II in A Major: Visitation • Sonata III in B Minor: Nativity • Sonata IV in D Minor: Presentation in the Temple • Sonata V in A Major: Discovery in the Temple • Sonata VI in C Minor: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane • Sonata VII in F Major: Scourging • Sonata VIII in B Major: Crowning with Thorns • Sonata IX in A Minor: Way of the Cross • Sonata X in G Minor: Crucifixion • Sonata XI in G Major: Resurrection • Sonata XII in C Major: Ascension • Sonata XIII in D Minor: Gift of the Spirit • Sonata XIV in D Major: Assumption of Mary • Sonata XV in C Major: Coronation of Mary • Passacaglia in D Minor for solo violin

The fifteen Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber form a fascinating cyclical work. The use of fourteen different violin tunings (scordaturas), deviating from the instrument’s normal tuning in fifths, makes the sonata cycle unique in the history of the violin. Annegret Siedel, artistic director of the Bell’arte Salzburg ensemble, has recorded the Mystery Sonatas on nine different violins of the 17th and 18th centuries. She succeeds wonderfully in bringing out the sacred character of the music, particularly in its meditative passages, without falling short of the music’s high technical demands.

Price: $57.98