...an excerpt from a booklet from one of our publications... 0091

JEAN-MARIE LECLAIR

Jean-Marie Leclair may be regarded as the head of the
French violin school: he learned benefit of remarkable
technical innovations of the Italian school without
impairing the french character of his art. In his music we
notice nobility and grace, wealth and vigor of melodic
invention, often pushed to the pathetic, the harmonistic
writing is always elegant and very expressive.
His life is one of the most mysterious of the French
Baroque. Born as lacemaker, he began the dancing
career, and after became famous as a virtuoso violinist
and composer, so much to be known as the "French
Corelli". Soon he came into contact with the court and his
compositions became popular among the elite of the
French nobility.
In 1730 he published his op.3 - Six sonatas for two violins
without bass. In this book we find a transcendental
virtuosity, Leclair was able to create a masterpiece with
passages of staggering difficulty, constant use of double
strings and very high violin register. With a delicacy and
knowledge to the enormous technical possibilities, he
obtained by only two instruments incredibly rich sound.
In 1764, the composer was assassinated in mysterious
circumstances.

ANTON MARTYNOV

From the "Ouverture" in perfect french style and
recollection of the beautiful "Sarabanda", the virtuosity
of "Forlana" and the outspoken popular flavor of "Barner
Tanz", the captivating and elegant musicality of Anton
Martynov's Baroque Suite n.1 is certainly in evidence.
To note is the long list of compositions and arrangements
of Maestro Martynov and the fact that this is not his only
work in perfect baroque style. In fact there are Concertos
(this time in the style of Vivaldi and not Franco-Germanic)
for violin, viola and violin and cello, already performed
successfully in Italy and abroad, as well as other
compositions, to be discovered and savoured with
pleasure.

Gianluca Bersanetti