Johannes Pramsohler founded his own CD label, Audax Records, in 2013 to achieve artistic independence in the recording studio, and its catalog largely consists of award-winning first recordings.
Composer Biography
Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, a royal violinist, was known for his genius and vivacity, but also for his extravagant lifestyle and tragic death by suicide with fourteen knife wounds in 1770.
Critical Reception
After their provincial tour, Mondonville and Guignon performed their two-violin program in Paris in 1745, with the Mercure de France enthusiastically praising their "fire and elegance."
Compositional Technique
Sonatas for two violins without bass are notable for their spectacular sound, demonstrating how much can be produced without a bass instrument and how sonorous two soprano instruments can be together.
Historical Context
In 18th-century France, the violin established itself as a serious solo instrument relatively late, leading to a surge of virtuosos, mostly from the Italian talent forge of Giovanni Battista Somis, who followed the tradition of Arcangelo Corelli.
Composition History
In August 1744, during an uprising by silk weavers in Lyon, two famous violin virtuosos, Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville and Jean-Pierre Guignon, attempted to calm the revolting workers with an unusual concert program of works for two violins without bass.
Instruments
Johannes Pramsohler, a baroque violinist, has had the honor of owning Reinhard Goebel's violin, a P. G. Rogeri made in Brescia in 1713, since 2008.
