Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1730)

Sonata in G minor for Solo Violin BWV 1001

1. Adagio

2. Fuga (Allegro)

3. Siciliana

4. Presto

Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) 

Violin Solo Sonata in D major B.D4

1. Andante cantabile 

2. Allegro assai 

3. Aria: Cantabile 

4. Allegro- Furlana

5. Allegretto - 'Friend, fate guides me'

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Fantasia IX in B minor for solo violin TWV 4:14-25 

1. Siciliana

2. Vivace

3. Allegro

Pietro Locatelli  (1695-1764)

1st and 2nd Caprices for solo Violin from "L’Arte del Violino", op 3

Antonio Maria Montanari (1676-1737)

from Violin Sonata in D minor (Dresden)

Giga senza basso

Performer

Violin: Samuel Cutajar

Programme Notes

Using architectural terminology, one could say that baroque music uses the continuo as foundations and musical chords as pillars, adding ornamental features to dynamise the receding perspective with lines of melody. To elaborate on the architectural comparison, not every country constructs their buildings and decorates their façades in the same manner. In the Baroque musical world, the Italians always gravitated toward idiomatic instrumental writing—line and shape that bring out the natural beauty in the instrument, particularly the violin, and searched for what was and will always be very natural to the Italians, ultimate expression in the slow movements and jaw dropping virtuosity or infectious dance-like rhythms in their fast. By contrast the German composers, while they were very influenced by the Italians, were somewhat more abstract in their construction. The Germans’ strongest suit was their mastery of counterpoint (fugues and canons) and their understanding and technical control of large-scale structures. This recital aims to juxtapose and show the inextricable connection between the two worlds on the violin.

Three centuries after Bach composed his unaccompanied violin sonatas and partitas, they remain a monumental pinnacle for violinists. Technically and musically, they explore the instrument’s possibilities with inexhaustible imagination, colour, expressiveness, and verve. Each of them have their own personality, and they represent a long journey. The G-minor Sonata represents the curtain call, opening with an imposing Adagio whose grandeur, so miraculously set forth on the single violin, could not be enhanced if transcribed for a full symphony orchestra. The second movement, fugue, is one of those Bachian structures that grow to amazing proportions from an almost ridiculously brief and seemingly insignificant subject. A lovely and gentle Siciliana, an Italian dance, paying respect to his European influence, separates the fugue from the whirlwind that comprises the final movement - a presto, perpetual motion Baroque essay in violin virtuosity that will be as pertinent in 2025 as it was in 1720.

In the last years of his life, the composer, violinist and swordsman Giuseppe Tartini laboured at a vast cycle of sonatas for solo violin. The resulting manuscript offers the most important composition for solo violin after Bach and, at six hours in duration, the largest integrated work for the instrument. This Piccola Sonata in D major comes in 5 movements, a freeing formation for a Baroque composition. From the simplicity of an Andante cantabile, to a quirky Allegro assai, to a lyrical “Cantabile Aria”.

Followed by a “Furlana”, an Italian folk dance that originated in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, concluding with an Allegretto final movement with a special message, "Amico, il destino mi guida" - 'Friend, fate guides me', as he symbolically waves goodbye, Tartini offers a musical narrative, emblematic of this period.

Telemann's violin fantasias exhibit mastery of not only compound melodic lines, but also of idiomatic writing for violin, as Telemann himself was a self-taught violinist. Much of the music reveals the influence of Italian sonatas, but the typical tendency of German solo violin music to rely on polyphony is still present. Fantasia No 9 opens in an understated fashion, with another Siciliana movement, albeit now in the minor mode. The Vivace that follows makes a feature of wide melodic leaps, demanding considerable string-crossing agility from the soloist, until the closing Allegro gigue, with its uninterrupted melody, provides a relentless finale.

Taken from 'L'Arte del Violino' Op.III published in 1733 in Amsterdam, Locatelli’s Caprices are placed at the end of the external movements of the 12 Concertos which make up the collection. They are autonomous pieces which have all the characteristics of the cadenza: a very free form and a highly inventive unparalleled virtuosity, laying the foundation for a virtuoso. Locatelli had to have a violin built especially for him, which had a longer fingerboard than is found on baroque-period instruments. Whilst the norm of his time was to follow the conventional structures, Locatelli literally decided to aim high and explore the bird-like qualities of the highest registers on the violin, and extend the bow’s articulative possibilities, finding another world of expression.

A fitting ending to this programme is Italian composer Montanari’s “Giga senza basso” from his D minor 'Dresden' Sonata, brought to light in 1717 by the German violinist Johann Georg Pisendel, who had briefly taken lessons with him. This vibrant unaccompanied giga is a perfect example of the Italian Baroque influencing the German musical world and the pure connection between the two spheres.

Biography

Samuel Cutajar: Violin

Samuel, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, is a vibrant and versatile violinist. His repertoire spans from Baroque to Contemporary, showcasing his insightful performances. He studied under Prof. Philippe Honore at RAM and Prof. Clare Thompson at Trinity Laban, having begun his training at age 6 with Antoine Frendo. Additionally, he studied Baroque violin with Prof. Pavlo Beznosiuk and Prof. Walter Reiter.

As a soloist, Samuel has performed with orchestras through the European Foundation for Support of Culture, notably winning the "Brillanti Competition." Highlights include performances of Paganini’s Moses Fantasy with the Kyiv Virtuosi and Tartini’s Devil's Trill with the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan. He also won the Vera Kantrovich Bach Competition in 2020.

Post-graduation, Samuel was awarded a mentorship with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and plays regularly with their orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, and Glyndebourne Sinfonia. In 2020-2023, he toured Europe and Mexico with the European Union Youth Orchestra, performing under renowned conductors. He has also played extensively with ensembles like the London Contemporary Soloists, Agon Ensemble, and Dutch orchestras, as well as the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble (VIBE).

Samuel performs on a Giovanni Gagliano violin (c. 1800), with support from the Malta Arts Scholarships, Bank of Valletta, and the Albert Cooper Trust.