Sophie Gent violin
Myriam Rignol viola da gamba
Thomas Dunford archlute
Jean Rondeau harpsichord and organ
Di 16 February 2025
17h
Salle de musique
La Chaux-de-Fonds
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644 – 1704)
Sonata II in D minor for violin and
basso-continue (1681)
Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger (1580 – 1651)
Toccata II in D minor
(Libro primo d’intavolatura di lauto)
Johann Jakob Froberger (1616 – 1667)
“Meditation on my future death”
transcribed for viola da gamba
Johann Jakob Froberger
Toccata II in D minor
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Sonata V in E minor for violin and
basso-continue (1681)
Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger
Toccata VI in F major
(Libro primo d’intavolatura di lauto)
Johann Jakob Froberger
Toccata VI in G minor – Da sonarsi
alla Levatione
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Sonata VI in C minor for violin and
basso-continue (1681)
A gifted composer and violinist, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber produced a host of sacred works and revolutionized the technique of his instrument, leaving behind him a legacy of virtuoso and imaginative scores, meditative or ardent, eminently spiritual and spectacular.
Designed around his violin sonatas, the program promises a veritable voyage of initiation, under the intense, inspired bow of violinist Sophie Gent.
Born in Perth, Australia, Sophie Gent studied classical violin in her hometown before furthering her Baroque violin skills with Ryo Terakado in The Hague between 1999 and 2005. She is a member of several ensembles, including the “Mito Dell’arco” string quartet in Japan and the Canadian-based Ensemble Masques (concertmaster). She has played first on a Gennaro Gagliano violin (1732), then on a Jakob Stainer (1676). Professor of Baroque violin at the Amsterdam Conservatory from 2011 to 2014, she currently teaches at the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory.
The Australian virtuoso will play alongside Jean Rondeau in the new ensemble formed for the occasion. Lute player Thomas Dunford and violinist Myriam Rignol round off the high-flying cast.
