The Rosary Sonatas

With his Rosary Sonatas (1676), Heinrich Biber wrote violin history. By tuning the violin differently for each sonata, he opened a treasure trove of new tonal colours. The fifteen sonatas vividly bring to sound moments from the lives of Christ and Mary. Gunar Letzbor – one of the world’s greatest Biber interpreters – guides Ars Antiqua Austria from Mary’s encounter with the angel to the Ascensions.

The sonatas are divided into three parts. In the first five sonatas, which contain moments from Jesus’ youth, the music is both sparkling and meditative. The darkest tones of Biber’s palette are heard in the middle five, which depict the tragic crucifixion. For the last part, Heinrich Biber pulls out all the stops. From the jubilant Resurrection Sonata, he works towards a grand finale: the impressive Passacaglia for solo violin, written for the Feast of the Guardian Angels.