The Great Violins, Vol. 4 Peter Sheppard Skærved

• Johann Joseph Vilsmayr (1663 - 1722): Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major:
• 1 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: I. Prelude. Adagio 01:59
• 2 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: II. Aria. Allegro 01:02
• 3 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: III. Saraband. Adagio 01:28
• 4 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: IV. Gavotte. Allegro 01:28
• 5 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: V. Menuett 01:12
• 6 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: VI. Aria. Adagio - Allegro 01:40
• 7 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: VII. Menuett 01:02
• 8 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: VIII. Aria. Allegro 01:06
• 9 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: IX. Menuett 00:50
• 10 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 1 in A Major: X. Gigue. Presto 01:04
• Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major:
• 11 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: I. Prelude. Adagio 01:24
• 12 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: II. Aria. Allegro 01:10
• 13 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: III. Saraband. Adagio 01:15
• 14 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: IV. Fantasia. Allegro 02:15
• 15 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: V. Menuett 00:51
• 16 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: VI. Aria 01:04
• 17 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: VII. Menuett 00:48
• 18 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: VIII. Gavotte. Allegro 01:09
• 19 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: IX. Passpied 02:03
• 20 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 2 in B-Flat Major: X. Ciaccona 03:07
• Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor:
• 21 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: I. Prelude. Adagio 01:35
• 22 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: II. Courrant. Allegro 01:23
• 23 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: III. Aria 00:51
• 24 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: IV. Menuett 00:47
• 25 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: V. Aria. Allegro 00:51
• 26 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: VI. Canario. Presto 00:32
• 27 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: VII. Aria lamentevole. Adagio 02:23
• 28 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: VIII. Menuett. Allegro 01:03
• 29 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 3 in C Minor: IX. Gigue. Presto 01:50
• Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major:
• 30 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: I. Prelude. Adagio 02:06
• 31 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: II. Aria 01:49
• 32 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: III. Menuett 01:14
• 33 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: IV. Brunada 00:53
• 34 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: V. Saraband. Adagio 02:03
• 35 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: VI. Aria. Allegro 00:34
• 36 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: VII. Menuett 01:30
• 37 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: VIII. Canario 00:56
• 38 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 4 in D Major: IX. Passacaglia 02:53
• Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor:
• 39 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: I. Prelude. Harpeggio 01:24
• 40 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: II. Gavotte. Allegro 01:45
• 41 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: III. Saraband. Adagio 02:04
• 42 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: IV. Rigodon. Allegro 01:26
• 43 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: V. Gigue. Allegro 00:45
• 44 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: VI. Menuett 01:22
• 45 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: VII. Boure 00:58
• 46 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 5 in G Minor: VIII. Retirada. Allegro 01:16
• Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major:
• 47 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: I. Prelude. Allegro 01:53
• 48 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: II. Saraband. Adagio 01:22
• 49 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: III. Aria. Allegro 01:34
• 50 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: IV. Menuett 01:33
• 51 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: V. Aria. Allegro 02:04
• 52 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: VI. Menuett 01:04
• 53 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: VII. Aria. Allegro 01:23
• 54 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: VIII. Gigue. Allegro 00:34
• 55 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: IX. Eccho 00:40
• 56 Vilsmayr: Violin Partita No. 6 in A Major: X. Aria variata. Allegro 05:12
• Total Runtime 01:21:29

Info for The Great Violins, Vol. 4

As well as being internationally recognized 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. In this new series, he plays music on these and many more instruments, many of which only he has access to. Probably the best known work of J.J. Vilsmaÿr, his set of six partitas of 1715 are perfect and relatively early examples of the baroque dance suite, and have found more popularity than many other contemporary works for the solo violin. Peter plays a superb instrument labelled ‘Amati Brothers’ but in fact made by Girolamo (his brother had died by 1610) with the help of his son and successor Niccolò; it was probably one of the last violins on which Girolamo worked as he died in 1630. 1629 was the year in which the Great Plague swept through Italy; Nicolò found himself a lucky survivor and inheritor of the great Amati tradition. The spectacular instrument has a spruce front and single-piece maple back, with scroll and ribs in the early Cremona fashion. Skærved says that its extraordinary qualities (he has played it since 2013) have profoundly influenced his love for the violin and his understanding of what it can do. The violin is held in the collection of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

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 The Great Violins, Vol. 4