Molique's scores include numerous fingerings, especially in cantabile or dolce passages, that indicate playing up to four different notes with the same finger, which are considered performance indications.
Composer Biography
Bernhard Molique, a German violinist and composer, moved to London in 1849 due to political unrest in Germany, continuing his intensive concert and composition activities there.
Instruments
Anton Steck performs on a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, a renowned Italian luthier, made in Turin around 1780.
Performer Biography
Anton Steck, the violinist on this recording, is a professor of Baroque Violin and leader of the Baroque Orchestra at the National Academy of Music in Trossingen.
Critical Reception
Molique's violin concertos were considered technically more demanding than those of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, which contributed to them not surviving as teaching material after his death.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Molique's musical training and playing style were oriented towards the modern French violin idiom, which emphasized a large, strong, rich tone and specific bowing techniques.
Recording & Production
This album is a co-production with Deutschlandfunk and was recorded in the Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal in Köln, Germany, in March 2011.
