Violinist Mark Fewer, together with Leaf Music, announces the release of J.S. Bach: Violin Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001–1006 (LM311), performed on six different violins crafted by leading Canadian luthiers. The work stands as a cornerstone of the solo violin repertoire and of Western classical music. Each work is paired with a different violin, made by (in order of appearance) David Prentice, John Newton, Mark Schnurr, Itzel Avila, Isabelle Wilbaux, and Sibylle Ruppert, highlighting both the instruments’ individuality and the interpretive possibilities within this repertoire.
The conception of this project began over two decades ago and is closely connected to the SweetWater Music Festival, founded by Mark Fewer alongside Jean and Keith Medley on the shores of Georgian Bay. By bringing leading string players into close contact with Canada’s finest luthiers, the festival fostered what has come to be known as a “Cremona North,” a thriving but often under-recognized community of makers working at the highest level. Instruments by these makers have appeared on stages at major international venues including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Wigmore Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. The six makers represent a cross-section of Canada’s lutherie community: three are women and three are men, some born in Canada and others who have made it their home. All of them contribute to what is heard on stages around the world.
Through this recording, Fewer draws a parallel between Bach’s music and the craft of violin making. Like Bach’s works, which are both deeply personal and universally expressive, each violin offers a distinct voice shaped by the performer in the moment. The same repertoire yields different interpretations, and each instrument reveals a different sound.
Fewer pays tribute to these makers who continue to refine their craft and give performers the opportunity to express their musical voices wherever they go.
About Mark Fewer
Recently named to CBC’s In Concert Hall of Fame, Mark Fewer has spent over three decades interpreting music across virtually every genre and setting, premiering more than 200 works, including over 50 written specifically for him. His distinctive discography includes multiple JUNO- and Grammy-winning recordings, as well as a Prix Opus and a recent ECMA Award for Best Instrumental Recording of the Year for Alikeness. He has served as Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University, and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University. He is Associate Professor of Violin at the University of Toronto and a Senior Fellow at Massey College. He is currently first violinist of the Axelrod String Quartet at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where the group performs and records exclusively on Stradivari and Amati instruments from the museum’s famed collection. After 16 years as founding Artistic Director of the SweetWater Music Festival, he is now in his eighth season as Artistic Director of Stratford Summer Music.
Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Nashville, Tennessee, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across North America. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf Music is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in North America.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Ai Lynn Ang, ailynn@leaf.music / Meg Henebury, meg@leaf.music
