CDs recorded by John Hadden -- Romanesca: Schmelzer - Violin Sonatas

Gramophone
"Manze and his accomplished continuo players (the contribution of the theorbo is both exquisite and distinctive) are, again, wonderful exponents in this mesmerizing baroque byway. There is much sweetness, delectable shaping and easy virtuosity in the violin playing and perhaps a hint of rehearsed spontaneity in the freer moments - a contradiction in terms but one hard to avoid in such sections where Schmelzer is not quite the equal of Biber. But this, unquestionably, is another supremely fine achievement"

BBC Music Magazine
"These lovely sonatas, with their volatile contrasts of graceful reverie and bravura flourish, exude an air of genial insouciance. Andrew Manze beautifully conveys their improvisatory spirit, switching effortlessly from rapture to frenzy."

Fanfare
"Last year, Romanesca issued a stunningly virtuosic and highly imaginative reading of Biber's sonatas of 1681. This year's instalment of works by Schmelzer is an equally imposing amalgam of technical flair and fabulous invention. It’s cause to rejoice that Romanesca has advanced on the German violin literature in much the same way that the Turks marched on Vienna. Manze’s aggressive display of technique and unfettered exploration of musical ideas make listening to Romanesca’s restoration as exciting as watching the lightning revivify Frankenstein’s monster. If anything, the continuo realizations are even more varied and interesting than they are in Romanesca's account of Biber's sonatas, and Manze is at the top of his form. Anyone who thinks that period instruments must take a backseat technically to conventional ones should be converted upon hearing Manze end the fourth sonata in a flurry of virtuoso excitement that matches Heifetz's in Vieuxtemps's fourth concerto. Manze doesn't sigh or whine, and his tone, whether on the 1661 Heironymous Amati or the 1783 Joseph Gagliano, is rich and commanding. This groundbreaking and imaginative recording is both most welcome and most urgently recommended."

Classic CD
"Once again it’s not just the force of Manze’s charisma that impresses, nor that every decision carries such tremendous conviction; above all the excitement derives from the chemistry of the relationship between solo and continuo, and together they overcome that hoary old paradox- how to sound both considered and spontaneous- with oodles of panache."

Ultimate Audio
"Terrific, musical playing by violinist Andrew Manze and a group called Romanesca...The playing is spirited, alive to all manner of nuances, with a wealth of color supplied by the bell-like tones of the theorbo and the varied continuo employed. Pleasure is added by in-the-room sonics that let you savor every nuance, and balances are perfect. This is definitely one of those discs that can become addictive."

Click below to Listen to Samples or Buy Schmelzer - Violin Sonatas
In the U.S. -	In the U.K.-	In Germany -