The music for two unaccompanied violins composed in the second half of the 18th century is today an invisible genre, although it was intensively cultivated at the time. This is in contrast with other chamber music genres of that period which today are often performed in concert and recorded. One of the explanations for this anomaly can be found in the distinction made between works of art and didactic works, an influence inherited from the 19th century. Didactic works are judged as a mere technical exercise, with no intrinsic value or originality. But this was not the case in the 18th century. In fact, some of today’s most highly-valued works, such as Scarlatti’s Essercizi or Bach’s Das wohltemperierte Klavier, were originally didactic works.
Alba Encinas, violin / Isabel Soteras, violin