Il Violino Boemo – Violin Sonatas by Benda, Gurecky & Jiranek

Music from 18th Century Prague

Recorded in the Church of Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Prague – Vinohrady, August 15-17, 2013.

The CD’s title, a paraphrase of Josef Mysliveček’s nickname, Il divino Boemo, aptly characterises the theme of the recording: the 18th-century violin virtuosos/composers hailing from the Czech lands. The most distinguished of them, whose influence was compared to that of Tartini’s, was František Benda. Although inspired by Vivaldi, he created his own singular performance style, which was even lauded by the famous English music historian Charles Burney. The CD features sonatas preserved in Prague in period copies. Also contained on the recording are overlooked pieces by composers virtually unknown until recently. František Jiránek’s life is linked with Count Václav Morzin’s celebrated orchestra, as well as Antonio Vivaldi himself. Another discovery is the sonata by J. A. Gurecký. Owing to the masterful and refined performance of the violinist Lenka Torgersen and the spellbinding accompaniment of the harpsichordist Václav Luks (also the conductor of Collegium 1704), the album presents to us the fascinating world of Czech violin virtuosos – a colourful, tender and beautiful world. Virtuoso and gallant – the fascinating world of the most celebrated Czech 18th-century violinists.