La folia
Title:

La folia

Artists:
Release Date:

17th June 2022

Cat No:

AV2513

Price:

£12.99

Summary:

palpably imbued with love” – The Strad

“Bohren’s playing allows the brilliance of the music to shine in its full glory, but he can also, as in Vitali’s Chaconne, play very sensitively and expressively.” – Pizzicato

“Dazzling when virtuosity is required, delicate when needed, and always with a glorious tone … a well-thought-out and original programme, which is brilliantly performed, one that is certain to feature in my Recordings of the Year.”  – MusicWeb International

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Sebastian Bohren’s new album La folia is an affectionate homage – to Ida Haendel, one of his heroes; to fiddlers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and to the violin itself. The Swiss violinist says, “It is also like a hall of mirrors, as some tracks invoke the spirits of two or three violinists.” From an early age, Sebastian was immersed in a lineage of violinists who favoured Romantic transcriptions of Baroque repertoire, studying with a pupil of the great Ukranian-born violinist Nathan Milstein. Later in life, he fell under the influence of violinist Ida Haendel on YouTube, watching her perform Corelli’s La folia variations. “She played this amazing virtuoso cadenza, and I was captivated.” So arose the concept of a programme reflecting the ethos of La folia, the ear-catching theme which has fascinated composers for centuries, from the Baroque era’s Tomaso Antonio Vitali and Giuseppe Tartini to latter-day Ottorino Respighi and Fritz Kreisler. Sebastian captures the sound world with sincerity, playing on two different violins, the 1710 “King George” Stradivarius, and a Guadagnini made in 1761.

Tracklist:

FRITZ KREISLER (1875–1962)
1. Praeludium and Allegro in the style of Pugnani 5:56
arr. violin & strings Manuel Naegeli

TOMASO ANTONIO VITALI (1663–1745)
2. Chaconne in G minor 10:52
arr. violin & strings Peter Petrof, after the violin & piano arr. by Léopold Charlier

MARIA THERESIA VON PARADIS (1759–1824) (attrib .)
3. Sicilienne 3:27
arr. violin & strings Mariana Rudakevych

Sebastian Bohren, violin
Stringendo Zürich
Jens Lohmann, conductor

ARCANGELO CORELLI (1653–1713)
4. Violin Sonata in D minor Op .5 No .12 ‘La Folia’ 11:28
arr. violin & strings Mariana Rudakevych, after the violin & piano arr. by Hubert Léonard (‘La Folia: Variations sérieuses’); cadenza: H. Léonard

GIUSEPPE TARTINI (1692–1770)
Violin Sonata in A GT 2 .A16
arr. violin & strings Ottorino Respighi (‘Pastorale’ P.86)
5.  I . Grave 3:41
6.  II . Allegro sostenuto 2:30
7.  III . Largo 4:18

Violin Sonata in G minor GT 2 .g05 ‘Devil’s Trill’
arr. violin & strings Ingolf Turban & Holger Frey; cadenza: F. Kreisler
8. I . Andante 4:17
9.  II . Allegro 3:06
10.  III . Andante–Allegroassai 7:47

FRITZ KREISLER
11. Variations on a theme of Corelli in the Style of Tartini 3:48
arr. violin & strings Mariana Rudakevych

Sebastian Bohren, violin
CHAARTS Chamber Artists

Recorded: 3–5 May 2021 (4–11) & 7 & 8 January 2022 (1–3), Reformierte Kirche Oberstrass, Zurich
Publisher: Schott Music (1, 11)
Recording Producer, Engineer | Editor: Andreas Neubronner | Mastering: Andreas Neubronner

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