Luciano Berio, a leading figure in post-1945 music, composed his 'Sequenzas' for various solo instruments to explore their possibilities and challenge performers to push beyond technical limits.
Performer Biography
Severin von Eckardstein, the pianist on this album, won the First Prize at the Grand Prix International Reine Elisabeth in Brussels in 2003 and is considered one of the leading German pianists of his generation.
Interpretation
Franziska Hölscher, the violinist on this album, aims to create connections and dialogue between different time periods in her concert programs, finding modern traits in older works and shedding light on contemporary music from the perspective of early music.
Compositional Technique
Biber's Passacaglia from the Rosary Sonatas is also known as the Guardian Angel Sonata because its manuscript features a drawing of a child led by an angel, and the piece uses a basso ostinato to represent this protective accompaniment.
Compositional Technique
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, a Baroque master, reportedly tuned individual strings of his violin to different pitches to achieve special timbre effects and enable difficult chords.
Composer Biography
Salvatore Sciarrino, an Italian composer, is known for his unique style that explores the boundaries of timbre, creating 'insecure, brittle sonorities that emerge from silence'.
Compositional Technique
Robert Schumann's Grand Sonata in D Minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 121, has 'quasi-symphonic dimensions' and great virtuosity, marking a significant increase in difficulty compared to his First Violin Sonata.
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Sequenza
The Royal College of Music Sessions - Mari Poll plays Berio, Boulez & Schnittke
