Even in the 17th century critics called it a “forced art”, and indeed, even for many professionals today it is not easy to understand scordatura as an intuitive way of playing the violin. But when composers master the art of retuned strings to perfection, completely new sound experiences are possible. Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was without doubt one of the greatest in this field, and so his seven sonatas recorded here really do offer “artful vocal harmonies”, as the Latin title promises. In each sonata, Biber prescribes different, sometimes considerably different, retunings – the result is sometimes considerably more, sometimes considerably less tension on the strings, which leads to a completely new tonal differentiation of the apparently so familiar string instruments. The ensemble “Der musikalische Garten”” presents this technically and musically perfect.

For a long time Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello worked as Kepellmeister at the Wurttemberg court in Stuttgart. His concerti a tre are actually triosonates for two violins and basso continuo. In these charming chamber music works Brescianello finds his own style, which is characterized by sonorous slow phrases and joy in virtuosity. The ensemble Der musikalische Garten, which has always been highly praised for its musical discoveries, recorded the first six of the 12 concerti a tre. The musicians of the ensemble Der musikalische Garten are current and graduated students of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and have met in Basel. The ensemble engages intensively in the German music of the seventeenth century, especially in the scordatura repertoire, of which most important representatives are H. I. F. Biber, Joh. H. Schmelzer or J. Pachelbel. However, the ensemble is always searching for new, rarely or never performed scordatura repertoire. The ensemble was selected as “Promising Ensemble 2011” by the IYAP Antwerpen and won second prize and audience’s prize of the international competition “Van Wassenaer” in Amsterdam 2011.