The Whole Note

Peter Sheppard Skærved continues his fascinating exploration of outstanding violins with The Great Violins Vol. 4: Girolami Amati, 1629, performing the Six Partias for solo violin by Johann Joseph Vilsmaÿr (1663-1722).

The Partias, all consisting of eight, nine or ten very short movements, are described as “an extraordinary bridge” from the solo compositions of German composers like Biber to the later masterpieces of Bach and Telemann. They receive beautifully nuanced performances in a generous CD of almost 82 minutes.

As always, Sheppard Skærved’s booklet essay is remarkably erudite and informative, examining the use of scordatura and the emotional effects attached to specific key signatures in order to understand the physical and emotional structure of the music.

—Terry Robbins