Chris L Beckwith wrote:

>I've picked up the two disc set of Biber's Violin Sonatas (Romanesca
>Ensemble, Harmonia Mundi) and am wonderfully impressed.  Lively, passionate
>stuff - just the thing to get me through the doldrums of December and the
>unending tides of store-piped x-mas music.  I know little of the artist -
>a number of classical discography books I've looked at skip over his name
>altogether.  I understand from the liner notes that these particular works
>have been neglected, yet are well known to music historians.

I was under the impression that at least some of the 1681 sonatas in the
Romanesca have been recorded elsewhere.  But no matter--if you like this
set, then by all means pick up the single CD that Romanesca did of sonatas
by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, an older colleague of Biber's.  Also very
good music, played in a similarly passionate and colorful manner.

Biber is certainly known, but isn't considered to be in the Top Tier of
Baroque composers.  However, he has an important place in the evolution
of violin playing, and much of it gives the impression of recorded
improvisation, moreso than that of other Baroque violin music.

Some of the other must-haves of Biber's violin music include the "Mystery",
or "Rosary" sonatas (his most famous use of the scordatura technique
of deliberately mistuned strings).  Other important works include the
"Harmonia artificioso-ariosa", the "Fidicinium Sacro-Profanum", and the
"Mensa sonara seu Musica instrumentalis".  Not to mention some very
stirring single movement sonatas for multiple trumpet ensemble, sacred
music, at least one opera etc.

Bill H.