Great Barrington — Having elicited no small measure of amazement when he took a turn in the spotlight with Aston Magna in September of 2021, baroque violinist Edson Scheid, concertmaster of Crescendo’s Period Instrument Orchestra, is back by popular demand, appearing in solo recital at Trinity Church, Lakeville, Conn., and at Saint James Place, Great Barrington, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3, respectively. The program? Some of the most difficult repertory in the solo violin literature.
Calling Edson Scheid a virtuoso (The Boston Globe) or his playing polished (The Strad) hardly does the man justice. Plenty of “virtuosos” can get through Paganini’s caprices nearly unscathed. They do it all the time—on modern violins. But on baroque instruments? Not so often. What separates Mr. Scheid from other violinists is his ability to perform these works on a baroque violin, an instrument substantially more difficult to play than a modern one. And what separates him from other baroque violinists is his precision.
Born in Brazil and based in New York City, Edson Scheid performs with the some of the best ensembles in town, including the Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Sacra New York, The Clarion Orchestra, and New York Classical Players. He performs throughout the United States on both modern and period instruments.
In the role of concertmaster, Scheid has led performances with Seraphic Fire, Washington Bach Consort, Il Pomo d’oro, Music Sacra New York, Juilliard415, and The Clarion Orchestra in such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Sala São Paulo, Harris Hall in Chicago, the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, and Alice Tully Hall.
Scheid’s recording of the Paganini Caprices on baroque violin for the Naxos label was well received, with Fanfare Magazine writing: “Far from being mere virtuoso stunts, Scheid’s Caprices abound in the beauty and revolutionary spirit of these works…” It’s true: Scheid has been playing these pieces for so many years that he has learned to make real music out of them.
What’s the big deal about baroque violins?
The sonic loveliness that comes from a section of baroque violins playing on gut strings with no vibrato makes the missing chinrest, awkward fingerboard, and high action worth the trouble, because it provides an almost otherworldly listening experience that is largely foreign to the sound world of modern, steel-stringed violins.
Anyone capable of performing Paganini’s high-wire caprices on a modern violin without plummeting to Earth in the manner of Icarus may be called a virtuoso. A player who can do it on a baroque instrument may be called a god. (Only players of modern instruments will dispute this.)
Hear virtuoso baroque violinist Edson Scheid perform a program of insanely difficult pieces for unaccompanied violin by J.S. Bach and Niccolò Paganini at Trinity Church, Lakeville, Conn., and Saint James Place, Great Barrington, on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3, at 4 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit Crescendo’s website.
