Geminiani: Violin Sonatas, Op. 1 Igor Ruhadze & Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya

• Francesco Geminiani (1687 - 1762): Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, H.13:
• 1 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, H.13: I. Adagio - Presto - Adagio - Presto - Adagio - Presto - Adagio 03:04
• 2 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, H.13: II. Allegro 02:23
• 3 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, H.13: III. Grave 00:45
• 4 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, H.13: IV. Allegro 02:51
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, H.14:
• 5 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, H.14: I. Grave 02:39
• 6 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, H.14: II. Allegro 02:06
• 7 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, H.14: III. Adagio 01:34
• 8 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, H.14: IV. Allegro 02:01
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Minor, H.15:
• 9 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Minor, H.15: I. Adagio - Allegro - Adagio - Tempo justo - Adagio 03:53
• 10 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Minor, H.15: II. Adagio 00:24
• 11 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Minor, H.15: III. Allegro 02:41
• Violin Sonata No. 4 in D Major, H.16:
• 12 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 4 in D Major, H.16: I. Adagio 02:05
• 13 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 4 in D Major, H.16: II. Allegro 02:43
• 14 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 4 in D Major, H.16: III. Grave 01:33
• 15 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 4 in D Major, H.16: IV. Allegro 02:04
• Violin Sonata No. 5 in B-Flat Major, H.17:
• 16 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 5 in B-Flat Major, H.17: I. Affettuoso 02:45
• 17 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 5 in B-Flat Major, H.17: II. Vivace 02:31
• 18 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 5 in B-Flat Major, H.17: III. Grave 01:13
• 19 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 5 in B-Flat Major, H.17: IV. Allegro 01:41
• Violin Sonata No. 6 in G Minor, H.18:
• 20 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 6 in G Minor, H.18: I. Affettuoso 03:06
• 21 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 6 in G Minor, H.18: II. Andante 01:12
• 22 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 6 in G Minor, H.18: III. Allegro assai 02:38
• Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, H.19:
• 23 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, H.19: I. Grave 02:47
• 24 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, H.19: II. Allegro 02:22
• 25 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, H.19: III. Grave 01:07
• 26 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, H.19: IV. Allegro 02:21
• Violin Sonata No. 8 in B Minor, H.20:
• 27 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 8 in B Minor, H.20: I. Affettuoso 02:05
• 28 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 8 in B Minor, H.20: II. Vivace 02:42
• 29 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 8 in B Minor, H.20: III. Adagio 02:17
• 30 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 8 in B Minor, H.20: IV. Vivace 02:19
• Violin Sonata No. 9 in F Major, H.21:
• 31 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 9 in F Major, H.21: I. Vivace 03:50
• 32 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 9 in F Major, H.21: II. Andante 02:12
• 33 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 9 in F Major, H.21: III. Allegro 03:49
• Violin Sonata No. 10 in E Maor, H.22:
• 34 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 10 in E Maor, H.22: I. Adagio 02:24
• 35 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 10 in E Maor, H.22: II. Allegro 02:49
• 36 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 10 in E Maor, H.22: III. Adagio 01:20
• 37 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 10 in E Maor, H.22: IV. Allegro 02:46
• Violin Sonata No. 11 in A Minor, H.23:
• 38 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 11 in A Minor, H.23: I. Vivace 02:00
• 39 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 11 in A Minor, H.23: II. Affettuoso 02:53
• 40 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 11 in A Minor, H.23: III. Allegro 02:42
• Violin Sonata No. 12 in D Minor, H.24:
• 41 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 12 in D Minor, H.24: I. Amoroso - Adagio 03:54
• 42 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 12 in D Minor, H.24: II. Allegro - Adagio 02:45
• 43 Geminiani: Violin Sonata No. 12 in D Minor, H.24: III. Allegro 02:37
• Total Runtime 01:41:53

Info for Geminiani: Violin Sonatas, Op. 1

Igor Ruhadze's Brilliant Classics recording of sonatas by Locatelli (94736) won warm praise from Gramophone. 'The playing is elegantly supple, the string tone warm, and the architecture of individual movements thoughtfully worked out. All this makes for a pleasant mood and enjoyable listening. The more exuberant pieces are brilliantly and at times breathtakingly performed.'

Fanfare extended an equally enthusiastic welcome to Ruhadze's album of concertos by Jean-Marie Leclair (95290): 'The playing… is really top-notch… the group's robust sound belies its small numbers… it's hard to argue with playing as good as this.'

With his latest Brilliant Classics album, the Dutch (Soviet Unian born) Baroque-specialist violinist and director turns to another pivotal figure in Baroque-era violin culture, Francesco Geminiani. Taught first by his violinist father and then by both Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti in Rome, Geminiani was already a leading figure in north Italian courts in his 20s, before he undertook the move to London that made his name and fortune.

Geminiani dedicated the Op.1 Sonatas (1716) to Baron Johann Adolf Kielmansegge, his first London patron. According to Hawkins, Kielmansegge favoured the composer by arranging a performance before the king in which Geminiani was accompanied on the harpsichord by Handel. With these sonatas, which clearly stem from Corelli, Geminiani presented himself to the public as Corelli's pupil. Many imitation editions followed the first printing, but the commentator Charles Burney maintained that only the composer himself could do them full justice.

Igor Ruhadze, violin
Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya, harpsichord

Igor Ruhadze
at the age of 12 began his career as a solo violinist, performing a concert for the violin Vieuxtemps nr. 5 with the Odessa Symphony Orchestra. Later, he graduated from the Central music school, and then he graduated with honours from the Moscow State Conservatory as a solo violinist. In 2002, Igor graduated with honours from the Amsterdam Conservatory as a specialist in early music. Since 1999, Igor Ruhadze has been living in the Netherlands and since 2016, he has been a Dutch citizen. Igor Ruhadze is a laureate of several international violin competitions, such as the Locatelli International Violin Competition in Amsterdam, the Taneyev International Chamber Music Competition and the Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges. As a soloist, he successfully combines the instrumental technique of historical performance practice with a wide range of contemporary repertoire.

Since 1996, he taught solo violin at the Moscow Conservatory and the Moscow Central Music School. In 2006, Igor Ruhadze worked as a visiting teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory. Igor Ruhadze regularly performs in many European countries and tours around the world as a soloist with various orchestras and ensembles, performing all violin repertoires: from the Renaissance to modern music. He often appears at festivals where he gives solo recital concerts, such as the Tartini program for unaccompanied violin in Flanders festival and the "Russian Tartini - Handochkine" in New York. Igor regularly leads different orchestras as a soloist and concertmaster with various programs from Bach to Faure and Tchaikovsky. Igor also recorded the Dutch version "Passion for Matthew" by Bach (CD in DVD), and took part in the Dutch film "Erbarme Dich" directed by Ramon Geeling " Erbarme dich" game toured European cinemas and shown on Dutch television. Igor performs a lot in chamber ensembles and leads his group "Violini Capricciosi". Igor Ruhadze recorded CDs and DVDs with chamber music and a solo repertoire under various labels. His collaboration with Brilliant Classics yielded several successful results: the unique Complete Locatelli Edition 21 CD received many excellent reviews, and his latest Biber Complete Violin sonatas impressed the audience with a warm tone and virtuoso performance on the violin. In January 2020, Igor Ruhadze new album "Complete Violin concerts" by J.M.Leclair was successfully released.

Igor Ruhadze plays on the violin of Jacobs, Amsterdam 1693, courtesy of the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds(contemporary repertoire) and violin by Carlo Tononi (Bologna) 1705 (historical performance)

Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya
Russian-born pianist and harpsichordist Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya is in great demand both as a soloist and as a chamber musician.

Alexandra graduated from the Department of Historical and Modern Art Performance at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory from the class of Professor Olga Martynova in 2009, where she studied piano, harpsichord and fortepiano. Alexandra continued her studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, gaining a master’s degree under the tutelage of Richard Egarr and Menno van Delft. In July 2015 Alexandra graduated with the Zertifikatstudium Meisterklasse Degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in München under Prof. Christine Schornsheim.

Alexandra has won top prizes at competitions including the International Festival of Early Music in Austria, the All-Russian Harpsichord Competition in St. Petersburg, the Prague Spring International Competition and the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig in 2014.

Her love for chamber music and solo performing has brought her to perform in premier venues and festivals all over Europe, Russia and Asia. She has appeared at Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Barbican Centre in London, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours, as well as Utrecht Early Music Festival, Prague Spring International Festival, Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Kaisersaal of the Munich Residence, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival among others. She recently appeared in Lapland with The Lapland Chamber orchestra playing harpsichord and modern piano in repertoire spanning four centuries. She works regularly with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the Residentie Orkest in Den Haag, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, and the Academy of Ancient music.

Booklet for Geminiani: Violin Sonatas, Op. 1