The Violin Begins

* An evening of music & words with Peter Sheppard Skærved *

Playing two unique historic instruments by the ‘father of the violin’, Andrea Amati and his son, Girolamo, Peter presents a salon evening of music and words from the violin’s history. The extraordinary works range from colour pieces by the Lübeck-born Thomas Baltzar, to deeply moving pieces from the 1685 ‘Klagenfurt Manuscript’, most likely written by a nun in a convent in modern-day Slovenia.

Alongside these, dazzling miniatures by some of the dozens of composers with whom Peter collaborates. During the 2020-21 lockdown composers from around the world sent him new works, to be premiered, recorded and filmed ‘at the desk’ at his home in London.

On the menu:

Violins by Andrea Amati (1572), Girolamo Amati (1629)

Solo Works  1588-1710 by Marini, Baltzar, Bassano, Matteis, Biber, Torelli, Vilsmayr, de Machy and the Klagenfurt Manuscript

Lockdown works dedicated to Peter Sheppard Skærved.

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ABOUT

Peter Sheppard Skaerved is a renowned violinist, chamber musician and researcher known for his pioneering approach to the music of the past and of our own time. He has released over 90 albums of solo and chamber music, performed as a soloist in over 30 countries and has had more than 400 works written for him by composers such as Judith Weir, Michael Finnissy and Hans Werner Henze. A prolific recording artist, both as a soloist and as leader of the Kreutzer Quartet, he is also the recipient of numerous awards and a former Grammy Award nominee. Peter is the only living violinist to have performed on the violins of Ole Bull, Joachim, Paganini and Viotti. He is also Viotti Lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music (UK) and was recently named Honorary Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music in recognition of his contribution to music research and the positive impact his work has had on the industry.