The Quatrieme Livre de Sonates by Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764), published in 1743 as Op.9, is considered the best of Baroque French violin art. Leclair pushes virtuosity to the extreme here, and accordingly these sonatas are rarely recorded. Hélene Schmitt, like Leclair an exceptional violinist, has been intensively studying his work for years. On this CD she shows not only the virtuosity of the pieces, but also their astonishing variety. She is supported by a top-class continuo group in various instrumentations.