In 1752, when the "War of the Corners" was in full swing, young violinist Nicolas Capron (1740-1784) was in the orchestra of the Opéra-Comique. Capron certainly had an opportunity to get to know the music of Philidor or Monsigny. Ten years later, after the fusion of the Opéra-Comique and the Comédie-Italienne, he joined the Concert Spirituel, first as Chef de Pupitre of the second violins, and then from 1765 at the head of the first violins. We know from Grétry that he was an "excellent violin teacher". The Mercure which would go on to comment regularly on his many appearances, wrote eulogies to his sounds and the precision of his playing, and his skill and vigour with a bow. In his First book of Sonatas for Violin Solo & Basso Continuo, the composer carried on stunning and moving audiences with the extraordinary richness and expressive diversity of his musical motifs: while there were few words, one felt that these pieces deployed the whole gamut of emotions, from the tragic to the comic. Capron sculpts every one of his propositions, making a careful selection of style, tessitura, rhythm, and accompaniment, and then augments the impact by juxtaposing motifs with contrasting effects. He enriches his writing with many different dazzling techniques which all build the expressiveness of the work, of which the most frequently-used is a shrill tesstiura on the violin, which can create an echoing effect, producing surprise or conveying a touching fragility. Often, swift movements see strong arpeggios rage; his slow movements are poignant in their simplicity and the clarity of their meaning. In a word, Capron's sonatas are a magnificent example of galant music. Violinist Ann Roux, who brings us these rare gems has studied under Pierre Amoyal, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Florence Malgoire but also Joseph Gingold, Sandor Vegh and Michel Schwalbé at various masterclasses. Her career as an orchestral musician has seen her perform as part of numerous ensembles, including most recently Ton Koopman's Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. © SM/Qobuz