Description
The third of three boxes dedicated to the art of Ruggiero Ricci, one of the greatest violinists of 20th Century. This 4CD box contains rare recordings of Sonatas, from Bach to Prokofiev. This project is dedicated to and realized under the auspices of Mme Julia Ricci, Ruggiero's wife.
From 1947 to 1956 Ruggiero Ricci played on the 1734 Guarneri del Gesù "Ferni, Duc de Camposelice" and from 1956 to 1999 he usually played on the 1731 Guarneri del Gesù "Gibson, ex-Huberman", which he purchased in 1977. For him the Guarneri sound (as opposed to Stradivari) was a matter of preference, able as it was to give the required brilliance, colour and attack that he sought. Until 1981 he owned also a violin Lorenzo Storioni c.1779, with which he recorded the 6 Bach's Solos on 27-28 February 1981 . This 4 CDs set presents live and studio recordings, ranging from 1952 to 1986, including some rarities, never recorded commercially, like the Bartók Romanian Folk Dances (CD1), Bloch Violin Sonata No.1 (CD2), Prokofiev Violin Sonata No.1 (CD3) and Saint-Saëns Violin Sonata No.1 Op.75 (CD4).