Catalogue

Summary:

“palpably imbued with love” – Charlotte Gardner, The Strad

RECORDING OF THE MONTH “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.”  – David Barker, MusicWebInternational.com

“Bohren clearly revels in the violin’s ability to seamlessly spin long melodic lines, but this tonal repertoire necessitates a greater awareness of the delicious interplay of dissonance and consonance.” ★★★★ – Ingrid Pearson, BBC Music magazine

“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

“Bohren deserves plenty of credit for devising a fresh way of revivifying this repertoire.” ★★★★ – James Manheim, AllMusic.com

“Bohren plays with a focused, expansive tone (entirely without embellishment), thoughtful ornamentation, and unwavering discipline, beneath which a volcano of subcutaneous passions smoulders… what comes across on this technically brilliant recording—a culinarily rich blend of tonal colors, subtle dynamics, and a delight in freely flowing cadences—is as complexly beautiful and crystalline as the distillation of fine spirits.” – Dr Ingobert Waltenberger, OnlineMerker.com

“All of the works performed are showpieces that give the soloist, but also the accompanying ensemble, the opportunity to demonstrate their virtuosity… Listening is pure joy, you can’t get enough of the refined arrangements.” – Peter Sommeregger, Klassik begeistert

Sebastian Bohren’s new album La folia is an affectionate homage – to Ida Haendel, one of his heroes; to fiddlers of the late 19^th and early 20^th 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: