Customer Reviews

Biber: The Mystery Sonatas

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I own three versions of Biber's Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas, and a fourth recording (by Manze) of other Biber sonatas along with the famous passacaglia that concludes the set. All of the versions (the other two being by Rheinhard Goebel on Archiv and Suzanne Lautenbacher on VOX) are beautiful, because the music is. Perhaps the passacaglia is the most beautiful 8 to 12 minutes (depending on performer) in the entire musical library. I rate the Holloway version as the best in terms of the passacaglia. The pacing seems perfect (Goebel is fast and almost dancelike, Manze quite slow but with more flare) and is about the same as that of Lautenbacher, the latter being performed on a modern instrument with her usual good taste and limited vibrato. Certainly the Holloway version has the most delicious ending to the passacaglia, when the minor key resolves to a major that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. The Goebel and Manze versions both have a decorative flourish on the final note that, while beautiful, detracts in my opinion from the simple beauty of the key resolution. How two reviewers could give this recording only a single star is beyond comprehension! Even if one grants that Moroney is not as "lively" a harpsichordist as the performers on the other versions, my response is, "So what?" Maybe if you're a harspichord fanatic you drop the ranking from five stars to four, but the work is overwhelmingly a violin piece with harpsichord ACCOMPANIMENT. To downgrade the ranking of the entire recording to one star completely ignores the fantastic beauty, technical perfection, and haunting introspection of Holloway's performance on the violin. Besides, it's not as if Moroney actually is "incompetent." The descrition I would use is "tastefully understated, recognizing that this is primarily a violin recording." In contrast to the fun Goebel version and the good but more yeoman (yeoperson?) Lautenbacher version, Mr. Holloway plays with greater sensitivity but still with plenty of guts (not referring to the strings here) when drama or a discordant double-stop are called for. Again, ALL of the versions I've heard are great, and I'm tempted to buy yet another, but I always recommend the Holloway to my friends.

This cd is a reissue of the 1991 Gramophone Award winner for best baroque instrumental. The work consists of fifteen meditations on the mysteries of the rosary, plus a passacaglia for solo violin. Biber's reputation for technical innovation and virtuosity is fully in evidence here. The suites include programmatic elements, variously imitating such effects as the rustle of an angel's wings and the scourging of Christ. Only Sonata I and the passacaglia use a conventionally tuned violin; the remaining fourteen sonatas use scordatura tuning with extraordinarily resonant results.

Holloway's playing here is contemplative and introspective, attuned to the wide range of spiritual and emotional responses evoked by the work. The superb continuo group employs a variety of accompanying instruments, and provides uniformly graceful support.

There have been a number of quality recordings of the Mystery Sonatas in recent years, by the likes of Reiter, Leztbor and Ronez. However, to my ears Holloway's version shades Goebel/MAK on Archiv as the finest available recording of this work. Listeners seeking a more fiery, uptempo approach may prefer Goebel's version. Otherwise, this cd is an essential purchase for lovers of baroque violin. My only criticism with this reissue is that the liner notes are less comprehensive than those of the original 1991 release.

This version of Biber's stupendous ROSARY or MYSTERY SONATAS won the 1991 Gramophone Award for best baroque recording. It is marked first of all by the stunning virtuosity and graceful lyricism of violinist John Holloway. Simply to master the notes of these sonatas is an immense task in itself: playing scordatura is sort of like ventriloquism, since you are miming a certain set of notes while other notes are sounding. To have worked up these pieces into an intensely expressive, dramatic experience, as Holloway has - without the technical difficulties showing through - is breathtaking. Then there is the variety of continuo instruments arrayed for each sonata. In various tracks we hear organ, harp, lute, violone, lirone (a gamba viol sounding to these ears somewhat like a harmonica) and regal (a small, portable organ with a rasping, nasal sound, used to great effect in the "Crowning with Thorns" sonata). Finally, the fact that this recording is priced far lower than any of the other major versions (Goebbel, Manze) makes it doubly attractive. I was disappointed by the scarcity of program notes, understandable given the budget price: we are not informed, for example, of the scordatura tuning of the individual sonatas, and I would have liked a more detailed discussion of the pictorial and symbolic elements used by Biber in the sonatas. However, the notes include a link to Virgin's website promising "a more detailed introduction".

Perhaps it's best not to take in this colossal work all at once. For a sampler, try tracks 14-15 of CD 2 (the "Assumption" sonata) and hear some of the most buoyant, joyous violin playing in existence. You'll be instantly mesmerized.

Much can be written about the difficulty of this music form the 17th Century by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber - and other reviewers here have given superb descriptions of those complexities - but the end result of works such as this is in the response it produces in the listener.

Biber wrote these Mystery Sonatas to represent the three sets of mysteries from the Bible: the Birth, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Christ. The recording is by Tragicomedia with Davitt Moroney and John Holloway in this impeccably performed recording of impossible music: the music is impossibly difficult to play and impossible not to draw and emotional response from the listener. Some may find this version a bit dry sounding, but for this listener that only enhances the other-worldly sense of the music.

The sixteen sonatas are named as follows: Part I: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation, The Finding in the Temple Part II: The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging of Jesus, The Crowing of Jesus with Thorns, Jesus carries His Cross, The Crucifixion Part III: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Ghost, The Assumption of our Lady, The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Passacaglia. With the simplest combination of instruments Biber was able to elicit the feelings of each of these mysteries.

For those who love Period Music this recording is a complete success and a treasure to own. For those who have yet to step into this ethereal world, this is a very fine beginning. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, September 06

Biber heartily embraced gypsy tavern violin virtuosity long before Dvorak or Brahms. This is magnificent music full of elegant and earthy contrasts. The sonatas that employ unconventional tuning open up new worlds of harmonic splendour, yet the crowning piece, the Passagalia, which does employ conventional tuning but isn't part of the Mystery Sonatas, is thankfully included as the final work of a two disc journey that soars the heights of heaven and plunges the depths of human experience. I have the original release of this music with its sumptuous and informative booklet: booklet or not, these are exceptional performances combined with an exceptional recording.

I'll have to disagree completely with the above reviewers on their opinions of the harpsichordist. It seems that they have missed entirely the subtleties and nuances of the harpsichord and continuo. All together, this is a well put together and enjoyable collection of some unique baroque pieces.

Biber, to my mind at least, is a hidden treasure. This lovely album, coupled with further Sonatas on ECM, comprises some of the loveliest violin sonatas I've ever discovered. Bach, Albinoni and Vivaldi all come to mind, in the sense that there is real joyful invention in the music, played superbly by Holloway, a great advocate for Biber,and with real delight in the music making. This is a disc of real colour and range in the irresistible melody lines, and the combination of violin, with the faultless Tragicomedia group, plus Moroney on organ and harpsichord as continuo, provides a real warmth to the music making.
Biber is now well known for his 'scordatura', re-tuning of the strings to increase the range and complexity of the instrument, but this technical feat would be limited were it not coupled with blissfully expressive music, in which the violin can make little skipping dances one moment, then deliver a ghostly beauty the next. Performances and recording are outstanding here, and the colour and warmth of the melodies highly addictive. No lover of the violin, or exquisitely melodic music, should be without this, or Holloway's recording on ECM Biber: Unam Ceylum /Holloway · Assenbaum · Mortensen There's well over two hours of sumptuous, inventive melody here, at a real bargain price. Small wonder this is a 'Gramaphone' Classic recording. Essential for any collection.

Biber: The Mystery Sonatas is a recording played by John Holloway, Violin and Davit Moroney and with them they have an essemble named Tragicomedia. Biber here showcases his pure genius as a violinist and composer. Being a true fan of Baroque music I loved every single second of this amazing recording. The painting on the cover is a very beautiful painting of Jesus and the Virgin sitting on a throne. Highly recommended. 5/5.

Holloway's performance is out of this world, he really feels the music, clearly paints scenes of each of the passages Biber tried to portrait.

As for the sound, it could not be better recorded IMHO. The harpsichord and the violin blend seamlessly, with the obvious deference to Holloway's instrument.

A must buy!

I'm not quite sure why these performers would qualify as "real" baroque players (it seems anybody making that distinction would like to revoke the membership cards of performers they might consider too "romantic"), but I would characterize Moroney as "real boring." He has nothing of the color and variety of Koopman's continuo, certainly nothing of the contrapuntal ingenuity of Hill's, and none of the fire of the youngest generation of continuo players trained on the Continent. In fact, his tepid chord-chord continuo playing lacks much melodic finesse and seems to this listener simply like a much watered-down version of Leonhardt's style. Not much variety of arpeggiation, no interesting passing-tone or other colorful dissonances to spice things up. Just bland, bland, bland.