Spielend for two violins was written during the summer and early autumn of 2003 and is based on the idea of the two instruments not only playing the instruments but also playing in the sense of sport i.e. playing their themes off against each other and playing with the musical material. There are times for instance when they seem to be having a contest to see who can finish the themes first or who can divert the other’s attention to a new texture or rhythm. The title the German word for 'playing' also refers in a way to the composer himself exploring the themes harmonies and rhythms - particularly notable in this respect is the large central slow section which contraststwo altered reminiscences of the Violin Sonata of Poulenc (a composer whose music is very dear to me) with the gradual expansion of a fugue from two parts to eight (four in each violin). Fugue after all is in a sense an example of a composer making sport however seriously with the themes.So the work is a kind of extended musical pun lasting about fifteen minutes in all and being performed without a break. Though the central section is slow the outer ones are quick and energetic emphasizing especially the idea of activity and vigour - the ending however may catch the unwary listener by surprise.The first performance was given by Philippa Mo and Peter Sheppard Skærved in Leighton House London on 7th May 2004.'John McCabe's new 'Spielend' strikes me as a miniature masterpiece: a highly charged 15-minute piece in which the violins chase or echo each other in a thousand different ways including a fugure in which as with Bach two instruments seemed to suggest a dozen voices.'            - Richard Morrison The Times 11/05/2004

Wiener Urtext-These sonatas are among the epoch-making works of the Violin repertoire and nowadays figure in the standard repertoire of every violinist. It is all the more surprising therefore that until now there has been no Urtext edition of such significant works. The score is based on a first edition supervised by Corelli himself. From what we know of performance practice in Corelli's time however more was expected of the violinist than just a musical reading of the printed score: it was customary to add ornamentation verging on improvisation with embellishment and 'variations as desired'. The original score is therefore presented here withthe earliest documented ornamentation from a reprint published by Roger in Amsterdam in 1708. This ornamentation is not meant to be slavishly imitated but to stimulate the player to find their own creative and stylistically confident interpretation of the score. As Roger did not specify any ornaments for the sonatas in the second volume the 'variations as desired' used by Corelli’s pupil Geminiani have been reproduced with the ninth Sonata as an example. Advice on performance is given by the Cologne baroque specialist Reinhard Goebel. This advice does not only apply to ornamentation but also to articulation bowings and more besides calling for specific markings in the separate Violin part. The realisation of the Continuo part echoes the fashions of that time. Here too advice on performance is meant to stimulate free interpretation by the Continuo player. A figured Bass part is included for the player who prefers to read the accompaniment from figures.