Jean Marie Leclair Concerti per Violino II

With four violin concertos by Jean-Marie Leclair, Leila Schayegh continues her exploration of the violin repertoire on Glossa, combining exceptional musicality and virtuosity with extensive historical knowledge. The composer Leclair grew up in Lyon and was educated in Turin before moving to Paris, where he briefly held a position at the court of Louis XV in the 1730s. His output includes sonatas and duets as well as his celebrated concertos.

Leila Schayegh, who currently teaches baroque violin at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, discusses in her booklet text how spellbound Leclair – himself an outstanding violinist – was by the Italian instrumental style. He was, however, very keen that his music not be played too quickly; his netteté, a blend of impeccable technique and musical perfection, was praised.

This second CD in a planned series of Leclair’s violin concertos includes numbers 1 and 3 from Opus 7 and Opus 10 (both series consist of six concertos each). The Swiss violinist, who plays a violin by Andrea Guarneri from the late 17th century, also captivates with her breathtaking artistry on this CD. She leads the La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basel with its concertmaster Eva Saladin and second solo violin Christoph Rudolf – Leclair’s violin concertos often feature up to three soloists.

Press commentary

…Leila Schayegh and La Cetra in the second part of their complete recording: everything is just right here, from the entire ductus and gesture to the smallest ornamentation. (…) One only has to look at how elegantly and differentiatedly the inégalité in sixteenths is shaped here, what ease even the most difficult leaps are given, how cultivated and charming at the same time the expression is everywhere. (…) There is still hope for early music!

Matthias Hengelbrock for FonoForum, June 2020