Biber, Heinrich Ignaz Franz (1644 - 1704)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

ds and fhg: I believe Rachel Podger told us very clearly that the cross appears above the nut rather than below the bridge as in ds's picture, because the swapped-over central strings go to their 'proper' tuning pegs.

Not that I know the first thing about violin-wiring...

I would imagine that might put less strain on the bridge than the arrangement shown in the photo (and possibly more difficult to photograph).

[french frank]

My liner notes say they are crossed 'above the top nut and below the bridge' - in fact, that's what Rachel Podger described. "The A string is in the D string position on the bridge and the D string is in the A string position on the bridge and then they cross over again at the nut so that you have the correct pegs to tune with."

[silvestrione]

Biber sonatas: where to start

Heard a snippet of Biber 'blind' in the car, on In Tune, and I am won over. But where to start, which work, which recording?

(It was from the 'Rosary' sonatas, I think.)

[doversoul1]

Heard a snippet of Biber 'blind' in the car, on In Tune, and I am won over. But where to start, which work, which recording?

(It was from the 'Rosary' sonatas, I think.)

If you are thinking about Rosary Sonata you could start from:

BaL First choice 2008 (was it as long ago as as that?)
John Holloway (violin), Davitt Moroney (chamber organ & harpsichord)), Stephen Stubbs (lute/chitarrone), Andrew Lawrence-King (harp/regal), Erin Headley (gamba/lirone)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Erato/5620622

Bal First choice 2004
Biber: The Rosary Sonatas
Andrew Manze (violin); Richard Egarr (organ and harpsichord); Alison McGillivray (cello Sonata XII)

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Harmonia%2BMundi/HMU907321%252F22

Forum recommendation (so far) by Padraig

Rachel Podger's CD.
(I assume) http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Channel/CCSSA37315

Com and join us

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?14851-What-baroque-early-music-are-you-listening-to&p=549576#post549576

P.S This is worth listening, too
Harmonia artificiosa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHVSWRgCVrs

[Richard Tarleton]

I discovered Biber in 2002 - knocked sideways by John Holloway's "Unam ceylum" disc which must have been being reviewed on CDR at the time. I went on to the Mystery Sonatas in Reinhard Goebel/Musica Antiua Koln version which - for reasons I could never quite put my finger on - left me feeling vaguely dissatisfied. Having very recently picked up the Rachel Podger version (after a much-discussed Rachel Podger concert in Swansea recently) I think I see why - Rachel takes up to a minute longer in some of the movements (movements only 8-9 minutes long) which just gives the music that bit more time to breathe, and for the mystery and magic to come out. Whereas Goebel spreads the different tunigs across three or four instruments, Rachel felt it was important that her violin should suffer as much as her, and all the scordatura are on her regular 1739 Pesarinius (she explains about the tunings on the booklet). I'm no expert on this stuff, but it is a marvellous version.

I also have 2 discs of Biber sonatas by Andrew Manze/Romanesca, also excellent.

[Richard Barrett]

I had a chance encounter with Biber's music back in the 1970s when not much of it had been recorded, and I've been listening to it avidly ever since. There are very many fine recordings these days, now that the Rosenkranz-Sonaten have become something of a repertoire item - when I first came across these pieces there were only two recordings of them, only one of which (by the pioneering Eduard Melkus) laid any claim to historical awareness, although these days its elaborate continuo realisations come over as somewhat contrived (but IMO still beautiful actually). The principal collections of pieces, with my favourite recordings of them, are as follows:

Rosenkranz-Sonaten (1676) - Reinhard Goebel's recording is for me the one that expresses the deepest involvement with these pieces; Holloway is preferred by some but his version seems to me more detached, while Goebel seems to embody the spirit of Biber to a much greater extent.

Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes (1676), ensemble sonatas several of which feature one or two trumpets along with the strings. Far and away the best recording of the complete set is the one by the Rare Fruits Council on Astrée.

Mensa sonora (1680) was recorded brilliantly by Reinhard Goebel and Musica antiqua Köln (and was the first CD I ever bought).

Sonatae violino solo (1681) is on a double CD by Andrew Manze and Romanesca, together with the "Sonata Representativa" which shouldn't be missed. After many listens I'm not sure I'm still so keen on Manze's sometimes bizarre ornamentation but it's still the best recording of these pieces (which haven't been done that often).

Fidicinium sacro-profanum (1683) takes up most of a double CD by the Purcell Quartet which also contains some lovely vocal works including the "Nightwatchman" Serenade. I don't know whether in the end I prefer this or the single-CD version by Les Plaisirs du Parnasse.

Harmonia artificio-ariosa (1696), like the Rosenkranz-Sonaten, involves retuning the string instruments, but this time the instrumentation is more varied. The Rare Fruits Council is again the one to go for I think, although the Musica antiqua Köln recording is also pretty good.

I'm not sure how many of these discs are currently available however... (and while I'm here Biber's church music is very much worth investigating too - the Requiems in A major and F minor and several large-scale Mass settings, the most spectacular being the Missa salisburgensis which was misattributed for many years to Orazio Benevoli.)

[MickyD]

Perhaps rather surprisingly, Biber ventured into opera as well. I think the only available work is 'Arminio' on CPO Classics, which I have never had the chance to hear.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biber-Heinrich-Ignaz-Franz-von/dp/B000001RXY/ref=sr_1_38?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1458849210&sr=1-38&keywords=biber

[Richard Barrett]

Perhaps rather surprisingly, Biber ventured into opera as well. I think the only available work is 'Arminio' on CPO Classics, which I have never had the chance to hear.

IMO it's less interesting than you might imagine...

[doversoul1]

Record Review: 26 March

09.00
Biber: Imitatio
BIBER: Serenade in C major "Nightwatchman's Call"; Balletti Lamentabili; Sonata violin
solo representativa in A; Sonata a viol. e viola; Serenata con altre arie a 5; Toccatina
sopra la Ribellione di Hungheria; Sonata VI for violin and basso continuo; Sonata A. 3. Ex
G. B Moll; Battalia
Ricercar Consort
MIRARE MIR302 (CD)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07522w6

The CD

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/advsearch.php?composer=Biber&work=Imitatio&performer=&medium=all&label=&cat=

[Richard Barrett]

BIBER: Serenade in C major "Nightwatchman's Call"; Balletti Lamentabili; Sonata violin
solo representativa in A; Sonata a viol. e viola; Serenata con altre arie a 5; Toccatina
sopra la Ribellione di Hungheria; Sonata VI for violin and basso continuo; Sonata A. 3. Ex
G. B Moll; Battalia
Ricercar Consort
MIRARE MIR302 (CD)

Sounds to me like a must.

[gurnemanz]

I got this Apex twofer of pioneering Harnoncourt recordings from 1969 and 1971 as a kind of starter a few years ago - an interesting selection of diverse items, including sonatas

[kea]

As far as the Rosary Sonatas go my first recommendation would be Daniel Sepec, who plays the original (?) Stainer instruments for which Biber wrote, and whose interpretations are deeply involving. I don't know Rachel Podger's recording yet, though (or another recent recording that's been well received, by Ariadne Daskalakis, another violinist I have a fair amount of respect for)

[BBMmk2]

Andrew Manze for me, and Rachel Podger, end of!

[MickyD]

IMO it's less interesting than you might imagine...

I've just found a few excerpts of it on YouTube, Richard. I think I have to agree with you, 3 CDs of that might prove hard-going.

[doversoul1]

As far as the Rosary Sonatas go my first recommendation would be Daniel Sepec, who plays the original (?) Stainer instruments for which Biber wrote, and whose interpretations are deeply involving. I don't know Rachel Podger's recording yet, though (or another recent recording that's been well received, by Ariadne Daskalakis, another violinist I have a fair amount of respect for)

This got me thinking and here it it:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?12464-Rosary-Sonatas