Les Violons des Lumieres

We follow the success of the album devoted to Jean-Marie Leclair by continuing our exploration of the rich 18th-century violin repertoire. Leclair's success in the late 1720s acted as a catalyst and many other talented composers emerged in his wake. Those years were particularly favourable to the instrument and the prowess of each violinist was closely scrutinised by observers: the title of Premier violon de France was the subject of fierce competition. This positive and adulatory atmosphere resulted in a great proliferation of sonatas for violin, out of which we have chosen the six jewels that appear here. The greater part of these works are recorded here for the first time.