Wednesday 29 February 2012 7.30pm

Musical Revolutions: Rise of the concerto

Groundbreaking music for violin by JS Bach, Biber and Vivaldi

Event details

  • 7.30pm. Wigmore Hall, London, UK

  • 6.30pm Pre-concert talk with Alina Ibragimova and Sara Mohr-Pietsch

Programme

  • Biber Passacaglia in G minor for violin from the Rosary Sonatas (c.1674)

  • JS Bach Sonata in E major for violin and harpsichord BWV1016 (c.1725)

  • JS Bach Concerto in A minor for violin BWV1041 (c.1730)

  • Vivaldi Concerto in D major for violin 'L'inquietudine' RV234 (c.1727)

  • Vivaldi Concerto in D minor for two violins and cello (1711)

  • Biber Battalia (1673)

  • JS Bach Concerto in E major for violin BWV1042 (c.1730)

Tickets

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About this concert

Alina Ibragimova makes her AAM debut in a programme which vividly charts groundbreaking innovations in the role of the violin, from Biber’s Passacaglia (thought to be the first solo work for the instrument) to the summit of the baroque concerto.

The juxtaposition of soloist and accompaniment has endless variations: Biber’s Passacaglia calls on the violinist to accompany herself; a playful dialogue ensues as JS Bach introduces a harpsichord; finally the stage bustles with action as JS Bach and Vivaldi explore the interaction between orchestra and soloist, full of harmony and conversation, contrast and opposition.

 Listen to Alina talking about the programme in our lastest podcast

 

In context: The birth of the virtuoso

As exposed solo lines became more prominent, so the skill demanded of musicians increased. Biber was partly motivated to write for solo violin in order to test his own musical ability: one eighteenth-century writer described him as “the best of all the violin players of the last century”. Whereas the sonata had an essentially egalitarian nature, the concerto distinguished between the advanced, salaried soloists and the rank-and-file, hired members of the orchestra. This was a revolution not only within the music itself but across the business of performing.

"These works aren't just the start of something. They form their own world, with the full spectrum of colour and emotion — everything that music is about, in fact"
ALINA IBRAGIMOVA, 2011

Concert programme

 Download the concert programme for free