Leah Gale Nelson, Daniel Swenberg, Dongsok Shin - Biber: The Sacred Mysteries (2011) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

CD1
01. Rosary Sonata No. 1 in D Minor "The Anunciation": Praeludium
02. Rosary Sonata No. 1 in D Minor "The Anunciation": Aria. Variatio. Finale
03. Rosary Sonata No. 2 in A Major "The Visitation": Sonata
04. Rosary Sonata No. 2 in A Major "The Visitation": Allamanda
05. Rosary Sonata No. 2 in A Major "The Visitation": Presto
06. Rosary Sonata No. 3 in B Minor "The Nativity": Sonata
07. Rosary Sonata No. 3 in B Minor "The Nativity": Courente. Double
08. Rosary Sonata No. 3 in B Minor "The Nativity": Adagio
09. Rosary Sonata No. 4 in D Minor "The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple": Ciacona
10. Rosary Sonata No. 5 in A major "The Finding of Jesus in the Temple": Praeludium
11. Rosary Sonata No. 5 in A major "The Finding of Jesus in the Temple": Allamanda
12. Rosary Sonata No. 5 in A major "The Finding of Jesus in the Temple": Guiguè
13. Rosary Sonata No. 5 in A major "The Finding of Jesus in the Temple": Sarabanda. Double
14. Rosary Sonata No. 6 in C Minor "The Agony in the Garden": Lamento
15. Rosary Sonata No. 6 in C Minor "The Agony in the Garden": Aria
16. Rosary Sonata No. 6 in C Minor "The Agony in the Garden": Adagio
17. Rosary Sonata No. 7 in F major "The Scourging at the Pillar": Allamanda. Variatio
18. Rosary Sonata No. 7 in F major "The Scourging at the Pillar": Sarabanda. Variatio
19. Rosary Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major "The Crowning with Thorns": Sonata
20. Rosary Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major "The Crowning with Thorns": Guiguè. Double. Double 2
21. Rosary Sonata No. 9 in A Minor "The Carrying of the Cross": Sonata
22. Rosary Sonata No. 9 in A Minor "The Carrying of the Cross": Courente. Double. Double 2
23. Rosary Sonata No. 9 in A Minor "The Carrying of the Cross": Finale
24. Rosary Sonata No. 10 in G Major "The Crucifixion": Praeludium
25. Rosary Sonata No. 10 in G Major "The Crucifixion": Aria. Variatio

CD2
01. Rosary Sonata No. 11 in G Major "The Resurrection": Sonata
02. Rosary Sonata No. 11 in G Major "The Resurrection": Surexit Christus hodie
03. Rosary Sonata No. 11 in G Major "The Resurrection": Adagio
04. Rosary Sonata No. 12 in C Major "The Ascension": Intrada
05. Rosary Sonata No. 12 in C Major "The Ascension": Aria Tubicinum
06. Rosary Sonata No. 12 in C Major "The Ascension": Allamanda
07. Rosary Sonata No. 12 in C Major "The Ascension": Courente. Double
08. Rosary Sonata No. 13 in D Minor "The Descent of the Holy Spirit": Sonata
09. Rosary Sonata No. 13 in D Minor "The Descent of the Holy Spirit": Gavott
10. Rosary Sonata No. 13 in D Minor "The Descent of the Holy Spirit": Guiguè
11. Rosary Sonata No. 13 in D Minor "The Descent of the Holy Spirit": Sarabanda
12. Rosary Sonata No. 14 in D Major "The Assumption of Mary": Praeludium
13. Rosary Sonata No. 14 in D Major "The Assumption of Mary": Aria. Guiguè
14. Rosary Sonata No. 15 in C Major "The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven": Sonata
15. Rosary Sonata No. 15 in C Major "The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven": Aria. (Variatio)
16. Rosary Sonata No. 15 in C Major "The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven": Canzona
17. Rosary Sonata No. 15 in C Major "The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven": Sarabanda. (Double)
18. Rosary Sonata No. 16 in G Minor "The Guardian Angel": Passagalia

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was widely acknowledged as the outstanding violin virtuoso of his age, and his Rosary Sonatas (The Sacred Mysteries), his best-known works, are the most impressive testimony to his gifts as a performer and composer. The 15 sonatas are grouped into sections corresponding to the three mysteries of the Rosary (The Joyful Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries, and The Glorious Mysteries) of five sonatas each scored for violin and continuo, and the set concludes with a passacaglia titled "The Glorious Angel," for solo violin. For all but the first and last movements, Biber uses scordatura, the re-tuning of strings of the violin to alter the tone color and to open up possibilities for playing chords that would be awkward or impossible with standard tuning. The re-tuned violin has broadly expanded harmonic capabilities, and multiple stops can be used with freedom and regularity, often creating the effect of more than one instrument playing, so its part is unusually rich and textured.
Leah Gale Nelson delivers a robust, securely grounded performance of the sonatas, playing with a clean but vibrant tone. Her approach highlights the earthy vitality of the stories depicted in the music rather than an airy ethereality, and the effect is bracing. She brings plenty of nuance to each of the pieces and persuasively heightens the intense emotionality of the religious devotion that the movements are intended to inspire, so "The Finding of Jesus in the Temple" is exuberantly celebratory, for example, and "The Agony in the Garden" is darkly wrenching. Biber's daunting technical demands sound effortless in her confident, shapely playing. The elegant realization of the continuo adds to the attractiveness of this version. The cycle has been recorded using a variety of configurations, some including a full ensemble, to play the continuo part, but Nelson's approach is relatively simple, with theorbo played by Daniel Swenberg and organ played by Dongsok Shin. The sustained tones of the organ and the plucked theorbo provide timbral variety and appropriately leave ample room for the solo violin to shine. Motomi Igarashi playing violone makes a colorful and resonant addition in one of the sonatas, "The Ascension." Lyrichord's sound is full, warmly intimate, and ideally resonant.

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