“One night I dreamt that I had made a pact with the devil... I was so overcome that I stopped breathing and awoke gasping... The piece I then composed is without doubt my best, and I still call it The Devil's Sonata” said the great Seventeenth Century violin virtuoso, prolific composer and famous teacher Giuseppe Tartini. Four of his most dazzling works, including a set of variations drawn from L'arte del arco, make up this CD, all played without basso continuo, just as Tartini intended. “We have learnt to take virtuosity for granted with Manze.” - Gramophone Andrew Manze plays a violin by Joseph Gagliano, Naples, 1783; bow by Gerhard Landwehr, Heemstede, 1987. Subtitled ‘Camerata Obscura’, this is harmonia mundi’s first collection aimed at exploring the connection between photography and music. In collaboration with the National School Of Photography in Arles, a foursome of young artists was invited to take a fresh look at several key works of the Baroque repertoire which are being reissued for this occasion.