Biber: The Rosary Sonatas

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber created a lasting monument in this series of fifteen sonatas depicting the story of Jesus. The unique element in this music is the technique called scordatura, deliberate mistuning of the violin strings for unusual effects. But listeners will be more aware of the its intense nature. Biber doesn't strive for beautiful melodies most of the time; he has a dramatic story to tell, which he does with remarkably imaginative effects. For a sample, try The Ascension, which hardly sounds baroque at all. If that gets you, you'll continue to enjoy the series. There have been very good recordings of this music by Reinhard Goebel and Marianne Ronez. Manze is an excellent musician in ordinary baroque music, but he really excels in wild and crazy pieces (as on his amazing Tartini CD. His realizations of this radical set, in collaboration with the excellent keyboardist Egarr, go straight to the head of the field, and he even adds a brief demonstration of how scordatura works so you don't have to wonder any more. --Leslie Gerber