In the last years of his life, the great composer, violinist and swordsman Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770) laboured at a cycle of sonatas for solo violin. Tartini is remembered by the general public only for his ‘Devil’s Trill’ Sonata, but he is a far more important composer than that work would suggest: taken together, these sonatas form the most important composition for solo violin after Bach. At six hours in duration, it is the largest integrated work for the instrument.

The music is surprisingly lyrical, and frequently has echoes of folk-music from Tartini’s Istrian homeland.

This complete recording is based on a fresh study of the source and includes a number of works in Tartini’s shorthand, overlooked in earlier editions, and deciphered by the solo violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved for the first time.

Peter Sheppard Skærved is the dedicatee of over 300 works for solo violin. His discography stretches from Telemann to many of the works written for him, and he was nominated for a Grammy in 2007. He is the leader of the Kreutzer Quartet and Viotti Lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music, London.