Leclair: Concerti Per Violino

With the four missing concertos, Leila Schayegh completes her series of recordings of all violin concertos by Jean-Marie Leclair with the third release. Leclair grew up in Lyon and was trained as a dancer and violinist, later concentrating entirely on playing the violin. In Turin he had lessons with the distinguished teacher and Corelli pupil Giovanni Battista Somis and then went to Paris, where he briefly held a position at the court of Louis XV in the 1730s. Leclair must have been fascinated by Italian culture and playing: the tempo freedoms in playing, the virtuoso aspects of violin technique, the expression that is strongly outward in Italian music - all of this is evident in his celebrated twelve concertos from opp. 7 and 10. Leila Schayegh teaches baroque violin at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and has received numerous excellent reviews and awards with her recordings. Her second album of the Leclair concertos was awarded a Diapason d'or and for her recording of the solo partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach she received the Diapason d'or de l'annee! This third release and last in the series of Leclair's violin concertos includes Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 from Opera 7 and 10 respectively. On this album, too, the Swiss violinist, who plays a violin by Andrea Guarneri from the late 17th century, captivates the listener with her breathtaking artistry - as soloist she also takes over the direction of the La Cetra Barockorchester Basel.