Florish in the Key: The Solo Violin in London 1650-1700 Peter Sheppard Skærved

• Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713):
• 1Corelli: Prelude in D Major01:10
• Giuseppe Torelli (1658 - 1709):
• 2Torelli: Prelude in E Minor02:53
• Nicola Cosimi (1667 - 1717):
• 3Cosimi: Prelude in A Major01:37
• Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644 - 1704):
• 4Biber: Prelude in D Major00:48
• Giovanni Bononcini (1670 - 1747):
• 5Bononcini: Prelude in D Minor01:08
• Nicola Matteis (1650 - 1714):
• 6Matteis: Prelude in A Major01:16
• Francesco Gasparini (1661 - 1727):
• 7Gasparini: Prelude in D Major01:31
• Nicola Francesco Haym (1678 - 1729):
• 8Haym: Prelude in F Major00:50
• Johann Gottfried Keller (1819 - 1890):
• 9Keller: Prelude in D Major01:44
• Thomas Dean:
• 10Dean: Prelude in A Major02:10
• Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (1671 - 1751):
• 11Albinoni: Prelude in D Major01:34
• William Corbett (1680 - 1748):
• 12Corbett: Prelude in A Major01:42
• Henry Eccles (1670 - 1742):
• 13Eccles: Prelude in A Minor01:57
• Arcangelo Corelli:
• 14Corelli: Prelude in A Major01:23
• Nicola Cosimi:
• 15Cosimi: Prelude in A Major01:26
• Tomaso Vitali (1663 - 1745):
• 16Vitali: Prelude in D Minor01:31
• John Banister (1630 - 1679):
• 17Banister: Prelude in B-Flat Major01:12
• Johann Christoph Pepusch (1667 - 1752):
• 18Pepusch: Prelude in D Minor00:51
• Carlo Ambrogio Lonati (1645 - 1712):
• 19Lonati: Prelude in D Minor02:16
• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695):
• 20Purcell: Prelude in G Minor01:06
• "mr Simons":
• 21Simons: Prelude in F Minor01:29
• Robert King (1862 - 1932):
• 22King: Prelude in A Major01:30
• Giovanni Battista Bassani (1647 - 1716):
• 23Bassani: Prelude in E-Flat Major01:45
• "mr Smith":
• 24Smith: Prelude in E Major01:41
• William Gorton:
• 25Gorton: Prelude in a mjajor01:35
• Marc'Antonio Ziani (1653 - 1715):
• 26Ziani: Prelude in F Minor02:21
• Gottfried Finger (1660 - 1730):
• 27Finger: Prelude in E Major01:25
• "mr. Hills":
• 28Hills": Prelude in A Major01:40
• Johann Christoph Pepusch:
• 29Pepusch: Prelude in B-Flat Major01:16
• Giuseppe Torelli:
• 30Torelli: Prelude in C Minor01:01
• Nicola Francesco Haym:
• 31Haym: Prelude in D Minor01:14
• Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni:
• 32Albinoni: Prelude in C Major01:19
• Francesco Gasparini:
• 33Gasparini: Prelude in C Major01:33
• Nicola Matteis:
• 34Matteis: Prelude in C Minor02:09
• Thomas Baltzar (1631 - 1663):
• 35Baltzar: A Set of Tunings by Mr Baltzar: Allemande 1 in A Major01:48
• 36Baltzar: A Set of Tunings by Mr Baltzar: Allemande 2 in A Major02:06
• 37Baltzar: A Set of Tunings by Mr Baltzar: Corant in A Major01:21
• 38Baltzar: A Set of Tunings by Mr Baltzar: Sarabrand in A Major01:30
• 39Baltzar: Preludium in C Minor01:46
• 40Baltzar: Corant in C Minor02:55
• 41Baltzar: Courante in G Minor01:57
• 42Baltzar: Sarabande in G mino01:26
• 43Baltzar: Sarabande in B-Flat Major01:51
• 44Baltzar: Allemande and Variatio in G Minor03:49
• Total Runtime01:12:32

Info for Florish in the Key: The Solo Violin in London 1650-1700

As well as being internationally recognised as a leading interpreter of music new and old, Peter Sheppard Skærved is the only violinist to have performed on the personal violins of Viotti, Paganini, Joachim, Kreisler and Ole Bull. Here he presents the works from ‘Preludes or Voluntarys’ (2nd edition, published by John Walsh in 1705. The edition includes petite gems from the leading lights of the age such as Purcell, Biber, Pepusch, Correlli and Torrelli, and some whose names are somewhat forgotten: Matteis, Bassani and Vitali – and more who are only known by their surname, probably musicians of the royal court who had presented a work to Walsh for publication. It’s also true that Walsh included several extracts from sonatas, suites and other chamber works, not always correctly attributed.

These fascinating pieces are played on a 1664 violin of unknown make which was an instrument of King Charles II’s court orchestra.

The album also contains several works by the (at the time) highly regarded Thomas Baltzar, played on the superb 1629 Girolamo Amati violin also used for Sheppard Skærved’s most recent ‘Great Violins’ recording.

Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin

Peter Sheppard Skærved
is known for his pioneering approach to the music of the past and of our own time. He regularly appears as soloist in over 30 countries, and has released over 70 albums, ranging from 17th century solo works to many of 400-plus works dedicated to him, by composers including George Rochberg, Judith Weir, Poul Ruders, David Matthews and Michael Finnissy. He is a Grammy nominee, for his cycle of Henze concerti. This spring he has released five new albums, of Schubert Sonatas with square piano, Edward Cowie solos and quartets, Peter Dickinson sonatas, the Gregory Rose Concerto, and the first recording of the 100-movement Klagenfurt Manuscript (1685). His work with museums has resulted in long-term projects at institutions including the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, the Metropolitan Museum, New York City, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, Galeria Rufino Tamayo in Mexico City, and the exhibition ‘Only Connect’, which he curated at the National Portrait Gallery, London. His ‘Tegner’, commissioned by the Bergen International Festival, a close collaboration with the major Norwegian abstract artist, Jan Groth, premiered at Kunsthallen, Bergen, and travelled to Denmark, the US and even Svalbard/Spitzbergen. He is founder and leader of the acclaimed Kreutzer Quartet. He is the ‘Viotti Lecturer’ at the Royal Academy of Music, he was elected Fellow there in 2013. He is married to the Danish writer Malene Skærved and they live in Wapping.

Booklet for Florish in the Key: The Solo Violin in London 1650-1700