The finest of Handel's Violin Sonatas (the familiar D major, Op.1 No.13) is set against three from Vivaldi: his famous version of La Follia for two violins, the magnificent B flat Cello Sonata, and a seldom heard trio sonata for violin, cello and continuo - altogether an entertaining, and enlightening, Baroque concert. Their Bach is grave, their Vivaldi glowing, and their Handel full of vivid warmth. When they do let rip in the final Sarasate number, it's to dazzling effect. Recorded in the late 1950s, this is a disc to treasure and marvel at: their violins speak as one, in perfect symbiosis of mood and purpose.

Vivaldi Chandelier

Bach Vivaldi Handel

Grace Davidson
is a British soprano who specialises first and foremost in the performance and recording of Baroque music.
Grace won the Early Music Prize while studying singing at London’s Royal Academy of Music. Since then, she has worked with leading Baroque ensembles of our day, singing under the batons of Sir John Eliot Gardner. Paul McCreesh, Philippe Herrweghe and Harry Christophers. Her discography includes a decade of CDs with The Sixteen, many of which feature her as soloist – Handel’s Jeptha (as Angel), Dixit Dominus, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Pianto della Madonna, and the Lutheran Masses of Bach.
Next year she will record Acis and Galatea for Harry Christophers with a performance at Wigmore Hall.
The technical mastery that comes with singing Baroque music plus Grace’s musicality and exceptional purity of tone have broadened her career into the worlds of contemporary classical and crossover music. With Max Richter she has recorded Sleep and Woolfworks (for Deutsche Gramophon). She has already performed Sleep all over the world; next year, performances are planned in New Zealand, the USA, Germany and Australia. Next year she will record Memoryhouse, also by Richter.
She has made recordings (on Decca) with the American composer Eric Whitacre, with Christian Forshaw’s Sanctuary Ensemble and with Patrick Hawes on his celebrated album Angel. She is the solo singer on Howard Shore’s live-to-projection concert version of Lord of the Rings.