Two voices in the history
500 years of music

This concert explores the multiple possibilities in roles and repertoire of the violin and cello duo formation throughout history. From the perspective of a historically informed interpretation, we will visit different epochs in the history of music. This journey begins with a selection of pieces from the collection called Ayres for the violin composed by Nicola Matteis and published in London in 1676, where the composer and violin and guitar virtuoso spent a large part of his life. In these pieces, composed for violin and basso continuo, the violoncello will take full responsibility for the harmonic realisation in the manner that a harpsichord or plucked string instruments are accustomed to. This will also be the case in the next work on the programme, the Sonata in A major from Corelli's Opus 5, perhaps the most representative sonata collection of the late baroque period. In line with the most recent theories among musicologists, these sonatas may have been conceived for performance with the accompaniment of a single stringed instrument that could be included under the Italian nomenclature of violone. In fact, in the first publication of these sonatas, the part under the continuo is entitled "Violone o Cembalo", possibly implying that it is possible to accompany these works only with a harpsichord, with a bowed instrument, or with both, as has traditionally been done.

After this Baroque beginning, we give way to the absolute virtuosity of both instruments with the performance of one of the Duo-Concertantes composed by Anton Kraft. Kraft was a very renown violoncellist; he was principal cellist in the orchestra of the Prince of Esterházy under Joseph Haydn and later in the orchestra of Prince Lichnowsky in Vienna, which premiered many of Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonic works; in fact, Kraft became a great friend of both composers, with whom he collaborated closely throughout his career. In these duets we can see how Kraft exploits all the technical resources of his instrument, trying to match the virtuosity of the cello to that of the violin. The second movement of duet number one ends with an operatic-style recitative that will give way without interruption to the last work of the first part: an arrangement for violin and cello of a Suite for harpsichord by Georg Friedrich Handel.

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The second part begins with one of Marco Uccelini's Sonatas for violin and basso continuo. Directly related to this early Baroque piece is the work Sliyanie ("fusion") composed by Iulian Gogu in 2022 for the Duo Auxesis. Based on a modal scale taken from the main theme of Uccelini's sonata, in this contemporary work we explore the extremes of the formation's sonority

After an interlude that takes us back to the Baroque through some pieces by Matteis, we reach the end of the concert with Bernhard Romberg's variations on a theme by Mozart. Specifically, it is the aria of Papageno in "The Magic Flute", which is presented in the form of a theme and variations in a virtuoso manner by the famous German violoncellist and composer.

In this journey, the cello shows different facets; as a soloist, from the realisation of the basso-continuo with chords and convirtuosity of the duets composed by great figures of the instrument such as Romberg or Kraft. The violin will primarily be the melodic instrument, but it will also change to the role of accompanist when the cello leads the discourse. In this way, we want to show the versatility of this formation and the variety of colours and textures that can be achieved with only two instruments.