This recording features a baroque lute made by Andrew Rutherford in New York in 1996.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Weiss was known for his gentle touch and incomparable improvisational skills, mastering dynamic contrasts like piano and forte on the lute.
Historical Context
Luise Gottsched, an important figure in German literature and a talented lutenist, took lessons with Weiss in Dresden after her marriage in 1735.
Composer Biography
Silvius Leopold Weiss, the composer of these lute sonatas, was taught by his father and played before Emperor Leopold I by the age of seven.
Performer Biography
Robert Barto, the performer on this album, won first prize at the International Lute Competition in Toronto and the top prize for instrumental soloists at the Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges in 1984.
Critical Reception
Luise Gottsched, a gifted writer and musician, described Weiss's compositions as standing out above all others, despite some finding them difficult.
Instruments
Weiss is credited with inventing the thirteen-course lute, an instrument whose full range is explored in his Sonata in B flat major.
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