Until thirty years ago, the Russian performing school largely overlooked the principles of playing historical instruments. However, with the fall of the "Iron Curtain" of traditional approaches, a newfound freedom emerged – not only in daily life but also in the interpretation of early music. Today, as we strive to preserve this cultural openness, we look back to the 18th century – an era when Russia made an extraordinary leap into the world of instrumental art in a remarkably short period of time. Ivan Khandoshkin, a brilliant violinist and composer, became the pivotal figure of this breakthrough.
Born in 1747, Khandoshkin was an elder contemporary of W.A. Mozart and a younger contemporary of J. Haydn. Young Ivan's extraordinary talent led him, at the age of thirteen, to join the court orchestra of Emperor Peter III, a passionate music lover and amateur violinist himself. Under the tutelage of the Italian court violinist Titto Porto, Khandoshkin’s progress was so remarkable that in 1762 he was appointed to the Court Orchestra. A significant milestone was the 1781 publication of two editions of his work in Amsterdam. After returning to St Petersburg in 1788, he remained a central figure in concert life, performing his own works and serving as a first violinist in various orchestras. In 1804, Khandoshkin died following a stroke and was buried at the Volkovo Cemetery in St Petersburg.
Khandoshkin's sonatas for solo violin were published posthumously as Op.3 around 1806 by the St Petersburg publisher Friedrich Dittmar, but stylistic features indicate that they were composed in the 1790s. The use of the solo violin served both a practical purpose—allowing performance in the absence of a continuo player—and an artistic one: it was an opportunity to demonstrate the highest level of virtuosity. Any composer undertaking such works entered into an "intellectual duel" with works of great masters of these genres, such as the sonatas and partitas of J.S. Bach, the fantasies of G.P. Telemann, the fugues of J. Stamitz and W. Pichl, the sonatas of J.F. Reichardt and F.W. Rust.
Khandoshkin holds a distinguished place in this lineage, his pieces pose exceptional technical demands while reflecting profound artistic intentions, embodying three distinct aesthetic currents: the fury of Sturm und Drang, the expressive nobility of the pathetish-galant style, and the refined hedonism of the Rococo.
Anna Dmitrieva (b. 1987) graduated from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where she studied under T. Liberova, P. Popov, and I. Dzektzer. She continued her studies in chamber music and Baroque violin at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with A. Spiri, H. Schoneweg, R. Gwilt, and K. Junghänel. With her ensemble Ludus Instrumentalis, she completed postgraduate studies at the Mozarteum Salzburg under R. Goebel.
Highlights of recent seasons include her work as concertmaster of Concerto Köln in Romantic repertoire under Kent Nagano and Jacob Lehmann, as well as appearances as leader and soloist in a wide range of Baroque programmes. She has also served as leader for Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Ensemble Boulevard Baroque, and Ensemble 1700. Her performing and recording collaborations include Cordevento, La Chapelle Harmonique, Compagna di Punto, Altera Pars, Il Pomo d'Oro, B'Rock Orchestra, Musica Gloria, Collegium Musicum ’23, and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, among others.
