Various Artists - Runaway Bunny - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Various Artists - Delos Great American Composers Series / Various [COMPACT DISCS] date 11/18/2008

This recording charts a path through the sonatas for violin and basso continuo composed by eight composers born in Italy, the epicentre of the genre's experimentation at the time. Most of these composers were also violin virtuosos, true explorers and connoisseurs of their instrument, and several enjoyed an international career that led them to publish beyond the Alps. One of the recording's key unifying elements is the exploration of the D minor key, with the only exception of two sonatas in the neighboring D major and A major keys, three particularly idiomatic tonalities that favor the instrument's natural resonance.

The sound of the unusual combination of clarinet, viol and piano fascinated many great composers. The merger of dark, noble and sensual tones with brilliant, virtuosic and melodic expression allows this ensemble to produce varied and diverse soundscapes and to abduct the listener into unusual lyrical spheres. Konstantin Selheim is among the most sought-after instrumentalists of his generation. After studying violin at Hannover University of Music and Theater, in 1996 he began viola studies with Volker Worliizsch and Hartmut Rohde. He has been strongly influenced by Tabea Zimmermann, Rainer Moog, and Yuri Bashmet. The pianist Katharina Sellheim shows a remarkable musical versatility. She gets engaged as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist regularly. She gives recitals in the important musical centers of Europe, such as Vienna Berlin, and Paris, as well as cities worldwide. Hungarian-born Lazlo Kuti grew up in a musical family and began playing in a brass ensemble as a child. He went on to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. He is a winner of the Concertino Praga International Music Competition, and performed as a young soloist in Prague, Vienna, Graz, and Japan.