Karl Stobbe

Karl Stobbe – Ysaÿe, J.S. Bach & Paganini: Works for Solo Violin (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 51:57 minutes | 1,02 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Leaf Music

The relationship between violinist and violin—not to mention the bow—is its own kind of union. I was 20 years old when I played my first great Stradivari. It was a confusing experience for me—the sound the instrument made was beyond my ability to control, and I had never imagined such possibilities of colour and texture. In fifteen minutes with the instrument, I learned more about the violin than I had learned in my previous two years of practising! One of the pieces I played on it was the Allemanda from Bach’s B minor Partita, an experience that left a lasting impression on me. It was simultaneously humbling and exhilarating, and I had the distinct impression of being in the presence of two giants of the violin, Bach and Stradivari. I realized then that if I wanted to do them justice, there was still a lot of practising to do! Thinking on it now, it is completely inspiring to me that our artform involves the collaboration of so much genius— great violinists play music composed by great composers, on instruments made by great luthiers, creating a single seamless listening experience.

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Karl Stobbe – Bach & Bartók: Violin Sonatas (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 51:59 minutes | 1004 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Leaf Music Distribution

Juno Award winner and violin soloist Karl Stobbe has released the album Bach and Bartok to illustrate the profound influence of Bach’s sonatas on the world of classical music. In the first half of the album, Stobbe presents his rendition of Bach’s Sonata No. 3 in C Major for Solo Violin, BMV 1005, which is both serendipitously calm and dramatically tense. Listeners are often left longing for a resolving note, and when they finally reach it, they’re dragged back into a melody whose syncopations masterfully re-establish the anxiety of waiting. Listeners are rewarded for their patience in the last part of Bach’s sonata, whose incessantly quick pace demonstrates Stobbe’s fine control over his instrument.
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