Search - Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Tragicomedia, Davitt Moroney :: Biber: The Mystery Sonatas

Hauntingly beautiful Baroque fare

A. B. Crockett | Colorado USA | 02/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Essential for lovers of baroque violin

A. B. Crockett | 12/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

A Monument of Early Violin Music

M. De Sapio | Alexandria, VA | 08/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."