This album was recorded 250 years after Johan Helmich Roman's death, concluding with a quote from his last known letter.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Roman's major contribution to Swedish music was raising the standard of musical life in Stockholm by starting public concerts, inspired by the French 'Concert Spirituel' in Paris.
Composer Biography
At 16, Johan Helmich Roman joined the court band in Stockholm, where his father, Johann Roman, also worked and taught him violin and music theory.
Compositional Technique
Roman's compositional style is highly varied, ranging from "weighty baroque" to an almost melodic "style gallant."
Composer's Artistic Vision
Roman aimed to show that Swedish was well-suited for vocal music, translated music theory works, and imported and performed music by leading composers of his time.
Composer Biography
Roman traveled to London in 1716 to "perfect himself in music," playing in a theatre orchestra associated with Handel, and it was there he earned the epithet "The Swedish Virtuoso."
Composer Biography
Johan Helmich Roman, known as "The Swedish Virtuoso," was born in 1694 and became deaf in his old age, eventually dying of cancer of the tongue in 1758.
