Do you like Vivaldi? In his different violin concertos that are commonly known as the “Four Seasons”, there is one that describes a peaceful day in the fields on a hot summer day, just before a thunderstorm breaks out. Ah, I love that part! But here is a violin sonata that takes up a similar mood. The warmth of the violin’s play expresses the joy of being in the midst of nature and an unbound optimism: Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber’s Violin Sonata No. 1. The ensemble Romanesca led by the British violinist Andrew Manze has released already in 1994 a recordings of ten violin sonatas and two passaglias written by Biber. We have met this composer and violinist of the 17th century already, when I wrote about his beautiful “Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas”.
