Niek Baar, the violinist on this album, began playing at age eight after being captivated by the sound of violins in a haunted house attraction at the Dutch amusement park 'Efteling'.
Composition History
Fritz Kreisler, a composer featured on this album, famously attributed his own 'Praeludium and Allegro' (1910) to Gaetano Pugnani, a pupil of Tartini, claiming to have found it in a French monastery.
Performer Biography
Niek Baar's passion for the violin is so intense that he describes it as an 'obsession', spending time learning about violin making, cleaning his instrument, and listening to recordings when not playing.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in January 2022 during a full lockdown in the Netherlands, creating a special atmosphere for the musicians who were finally able to make music together.
Performer Biography
The Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, which performs on this album, is composed of members of the renowned Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
Instruments
Niek Baar performs on a rare and magnificent violin made in Cremona, Italy, in 1729 by Carlo Bergonzi, which is on loan to him from the Tjardus Greidanus Foundation.
Critical Reception
When Fritz Kreisler admitted in 1935 that he had composed the 'Praeludium and Allegro' himself, some critics, like Ernest Newman of the Times, reacted with anger, calling him an "unethical impostor."
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Silvia Marcovici, Vol. 1: Violin Concertos
Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No.3; Kreisler/Paganini: Concerto in One Movement; Wieniawski: Légénde; Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen
Hartmann, Ravel, Sadikova
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole; Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3; etc.
