'Christina Day Martinson makes light of the virtuosity of this deeply profound music...The recorded sound and balance are exemplary.'
The Strad
Biber: The Mystery Sonatas
Biber: The Mystery Sonatas
Artist
Label(s)
Genre(s)
Classical
Code
CKD 501
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Booklet available for download
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- Sonata I in D minor ‘The Annunciation’: Praeludium – Aria and 2 variations – FinaleComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata I in D minor ‘The Annunciation’: Praeludium – Aria and 2 variations – Finale
05:28$2.30 - Sonata II in A major ‘The Visitation’: [Sonata] / Presto – Allamanda – PrestoComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata II in A major ‘The Visitation’: [Sonata] / Presto – Allamanda – Presto
04:54$2.30 - Sonata III in B minor ‘The Nativity’: [Sonata] / Presto – Courente and double – AdagioComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata III in B minor ‘The Nativity’: [Sonata] / Presto – Courente and double – Adagio
06:51$2.30 - Sonata IV in D minor ‘The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple’: Ciacona with 12 variationsComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata IV in D minor ‘The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple’: Ciacona with 12 variations
08:03$3.40 - Sonata V in A major ‘The Finding of Jesus in the Temple’: Praeludium – Allamanda – Gigue – Sarabande and doubleComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata V in A major ‘The Finding of Jesus in the Temple’: Praeludium – Allamanda – Gigue – Sarabande and double
07:06$3.40 - Sonata VI in C minor ‘The Agony in the Garden’: LamentoComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata VI in C minor ‘The Agony in the Garden’: Lamento
08:13$3.40 - Sonata VII in F major ‘The Scourging of Jesus’: Allamanda and variation – Sarabanda and 3 variationsComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata VII in F major ‘The Scourging of Jesus’: Allamanda and variation – Sarabanda and 3 variations
09:03$3.40 - Sonata VIII in B flat major ‘The Crowning with Thorns’: Sonata: Adagio / Presto – Gigue and 2 doublesComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata VIII in B flat major ‘The Crowning with Thorns’: Sonata: Adagio / Presto – Gigue and 2 doubles
06:30$2.30 - Sonata IX in A minor ‘The Carrying of the Cross’: Sonata – Courente and 2 doubles – FinalComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata IX in A minor ‘The Carrying of the Cross’: Sonata – Courente and 2 doubles – Final
07:14$3.40 - Sonata X in G minor ‘The Crucifixion’: Praeludium – Aria and 5 variationsComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata X in G minor ‘The Crucifixion’: Praeludium – Aria and 5 variations
09:01$3.40 - Sonata XI in G major ‘The Resurrection’: Sonata – Hymn ‘Surrexit Christus hodie’ and variationsComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata XI in G major ‘The Resurrection’: Sonata – Hymn ‘Surrexit Christus hodie’ and variations
08:02$3.40 - Sonata XII in C major ‘The Ascension’: Intrada – Aria tubicinum – Allemanda – Courante and doubleComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata XII in C major ‘The Ascension’: Intrada – Aria tubicinum – Allemanda – Courante and double
07:01$3.40 - Sonata XIII in D minor ‘The Descent of the Holy Ghost’: Sonata – Gavotte – Gigue – SarabandaComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata XIII in D minor ‘The Descent of the Holy Ghost’: Sonata – Gavotte – Gigue – Sarabanda
07:44$3.40 - Sonata XIV in D major ‘The Assumption of the Virgin’: [Sonata] – Arias 1 and 2 – GigueComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata XIV in D major ‘The Assumption of the Virgin’: [Sonata] – Arias 1 and 2 – Gigue
08:20$3.40 - Sonata XV in C major ‘The Coronation of the Virgin’: Sonata – Aria with 3 doubles – Canzona – Sarabanda and doubleComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Martin Pearlman Christina Day Martinson Boston Baroque
Sonata XV in C major ‘The Coronation of the Virgin’: Sonata – Aria with 3 doubles – Canzona – Sarabanda and double
08:33$3.40 - Passacaglia in G minor for solo violinComposer(s) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BiberArtist(s) Christina Day Martinson
Passacaglia in G minor for solo violin
07:47$3.40
Total running time: 119 minutes.
Album information
Boston Baroque's Christina Day Martinson delivers a technical tour de force, as she navigates the virtuosic challenges presented by the fiendishly demanding changing scordatura.
Heinrich Biber's astonishingly powerful and deeply emotional Mystery Sonatas represent a triumph of Baroque invention. Boston Classical Review described Christina Day Martinson's live performance as "a flourish of technical complexity and musical wizardry", whilst the Boston Globe wrote,"Day Martinson…didn't just survive, she triumphed."
The adventurous use of six baroque violins in fifteen different tunings creates otherworldly soundscapes that result in a deeply moving and glorious listening experience. This highly disorientating practice reaches its pinnacle in Sonata XI (The Resurrection) where the middle two strings are crossed over each other both in the peg box and behind the bridge, so that one can literally see a cross on the violin. The fifteen sonatas have been traditionally grouped into three sets of five: five joyful mysteries, five sorrowful mysteries, and five glorious mysteries.
Boston Baroque’s founder Martin Pearlman plays organ and harpsichord, with Michael Leopold on theorbo and guitar and Michael Unterman on cello.
Related Artists
Reviews
Great Boston-area classical albums of 2018: '[Martinson] bypasses mere virtuosity and gives earthy and dramatic performances...'
The Boston Globe
Best Recordings of 2018: 'Christina Day Martinson, concertmaster of Boston Baroque, brings deep feeling and stylistic flair to these meditative works.'
Chicago Tribune
'...empieza luego susurrando en la chacona de la Presentación, para ir desatándose hasta el borde del delirio, irregular, aristado, cargado de eléctrica expresividad, dentro de una pieza ornamentada con gran imaginación, una de las mejores del registro.'
Scherzo
'Linn’s sound is extremely immediate; one can almost see Martinson standing in front of you with her instrument.'
Fanfare
