THE DEVIL'S TRILL AND OTHER
VIOLIN SONATAS
The Locatelli Trio
Hyperion Records, Ltd.
Giuseppe Tartini may be the best-kept secret of the Italian baroque,
a man whose nomadic life and hauntingly original works are shrouded
by myth, misconception, and relative obscurity. But led by Australian
violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch, The Locatelli Trio have given
us six of Tartini's finest works, beginning with a spirited rendition
of his magnificent sonata in G minor called "Didone abbandonata,"
and culminating with the work for which Tartini is best remembered,
"Il trillo del Diavolo" (The Devil's Trill), written
sometime around 1749 after one of the most uncanny episodes in
the history of ancient music.
According to historical tracts, while fast
asleep, Tartini dreamt that the Devil stood at the foot of his
bed, trying to bargain for his soul. So Tartini challenged the
Devil to a musical duel. "How great was my astonishment,"
Tartini wrote, "when I heard him play with consummate skill
a sonata of such exquisite beauty as surpassed the boldest flight
of my imagination." When he awoke, Tartini, attempting to
reproduce the netherworldy music of his dream, wrote "The
Devil's Trill," a sonata in G minor that is one of the finest
pieces of music ever written; in short, a masterpiece.
Every sonata and pastorale on this superbly
recorded CD takes us into one of the most complex musical minds
of the Baroque, to give us virtuoso renditions of Tartini's ethereally
beguiling compositions. Labyrinthine in its technical demands,
Tartini's music, especially "The Devil's Trill" sonata,
offers an hour of listening pleasure that will be a delight for
the uninitiated and a must for any serious baroque enthusiast.
Marc Cramer
© 1999
Shelton CT 06484 USA
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