If at first thought the repertoire for unaccompanied solo violin may seem uninviting to you, don’t let this prejudice fool you. The music presented here is masterfully beautiful and rich in noble, poignant melodies and emotions. If the absolute masterpiece of the genre is Bach’s cycle of Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006, the treasures revealed by Isabelle Faust in this album, aptly named Solo, are no less deserving. A Fantasia by Matteis and a Sonata by Pisendel, which Bach would not have disdained to have in his own catalogue, are highlights of the album in terms of discoveries. Other pieces, by Guillemain (a pupil of Jean-Marie Leclair) and Vilsmayr, although lighter, are still rich enough in detail to appeal to the most demanding of purists. And then there is that exceptional monument, surpassed only by Bach (and even then): Biber’s Passacaglia from his remarkable cycle of Rosary Sonatas. A single, simple instrument, but such magnificence. It’s crazy, but that’s what real, great music is all about.
