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Charles Burney, writing in the 1770s, described these sonatas as ‘the most difficult and most fanciful music’ of their time, and this magazine has celebrated several recordings in recent decades, each time commenting on the dazzling virtuosity of the performer. This Recording of the Month is no exception as we welcome a new album from Bojan Cicic, who cites inspiration from Andrew Manze’s pioneering 1994 recording with Romanesca, and clearly both artists share admiration for Biber’s flair, harmonic daring and virtuosic imagination. Wiebke Thormählen’s accompanying essay makes a compelling point: we should not let the fame of Biber’s Mystery Sonatas eclipse the significance of this 1681 collection, since during Biber’s lifetime these later sonatas also enjoyed considerable acclaim. Unlike the Mystery Sonatas, which lean more on scordatura (non-standard string tunings) and religious narrative, these 1681 works connect directly with the listener through secular and personal touches alongside the sacred as the composer sought to evoke altered mental states through musical complexity – a kind of proto-flow situation, if you will. Moreover, the 1681 publication even includes a portrait of Biber himself – not reproduced in this album’s material – hinting towards admiration for a composer’s secular virtue alongside that almost spiritual immersion demanded of both player and listener. If that all sounds too heavy, rest assured the sonatas themselves are a joyful listen and a veritable playground of innovation that suit a nimble, flexible musician sucg as Cicic very well: many open with quasi-imorovisatory preludes where the violin is found floating freely over a pedal note, and in these passages we experience some of Cicic's most expressive moments. But since the sompositions follow no overall satructure,what follows is never predictable. Biber juxtaposes contrasting textures,often exploring polyphony, registral extremes and unusual tunings (such as in Sonata No. 4, where three strings are retunes to evoke D major, and Sonata No 6 which demands retuning mid-piece). Most notably, thre is a delightful profusion of variations-like passages over a ground bass where this ensemble excel in endless inventiveness, but even are not formulaic. Certainly this composer neber rigidly labels or constains his forms. One of my favourite features is the presence of overt dance movements, particularly the checky, swaggering gestures in Sona No 4.
Throughout, the music, and Cicic´s playing, continually underline why the 17th century is often called the Golden Age of violinplaying: there’s a great combination of subtle nuance, bold contrast and sheer technical dazzle. If I make a general comparison with Andrew Manze and Monica Huggett (with Sonnerie), I would turn to Manze for the greatest drama in the most generous acoustic space and Huggett for her sheer beauty of tone and delicacy of touch. C?i?ic´’s tone also sparkles; his bowing is agile and expressive yet at the same time he’s overall more introspective than Manze, aided by a close, detailed recording that highlights this inward quality. I think the recording quality is key here, and hats off to the engineers, because they have really captured C?i?ic´’s detailed grain – the sort of thing one only hears in intimate surroundings. It was a brave move and it paid off. While Manze’s Biber is often more fierily eccentric (in the best sense) and Huggett is lighter and more deft, C?i?ic´ offers more intimacy of performance, up close and personal. The continuo team is equally impressive, with moments of delightful dialogue between plucked textures. From the opening of Sonata No 1 C?i?ic´ invites us under the bonnet of the music, and when virtuosic fireworks arrive they are thrillingly accurate. Sonata No 2 offers a particular highlight: the third variation with its stuttering hemi-demisemiquavers stands out for its combination of precision and nobility. It is Sonata No 5, though – a personal favourite – that really caught my attention. The improvisatory opening flows easily, and the moment the harpsichord arrives also heralds those famous ethereal double-stops; then there’s a very stylish segue into the Adagio, with its two-part writing. The Allegro variations, however, are just stunning. C?i?ic´ balances the cornucopia of invention and contrast with a tumble of inevitability that creates a gripping sense of flow. His playing can be feisty, graceful and often remarkably rapid but it is never showy. It’s this combination of emotional depth with astonishing bravura that unlocks the underlying feeling of spirituality. For me, this release is a triumph and pretty much everything about it speaks of an artist entering the golden phase of his career. If it doesn’t win awards, I’ll be astonished.
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