While far less frequently performed than the unaccompanied violin sonatas by the same composer, the Bach violin sonatas for violin and harpsichord are considered by many to be some of the finest works found within the High Baroque chamber music repertoire.

The Folia concert, Sunday afternoon at the Registry Theatre, featuring co-artistic director Linda Melsted on violin, and Borys Medicky on harpsichord, was ample evidence for the claims to greatness assigned to these works.

The Largo movement of the Sonata in C Minor (BWV 1017) led with a sumptuous and sweetly melancholy theme. Wonderfully relaxed, with an unhurried sense of yearning, Melsted coaxed the violin’s wonderfully round texture over the metered harpsichord, like pulled taffy.

Following the traditionally alternating slow-fast pattern, the second movement was contrastingly fleet, crisp, and nimble as the interweaving themes and phrases from both instruments crafted what felt like an Everest of musical form and substance. The Adagio third movement featured arpeggiated threes, again stately and measured, ending with the fiery Allegro movement with its cascading triplets.

Melsted has become a local champion of Baroque violin, performing as soloist with various groups such as the KW Symphony, and others. Her wonderful presence and sense of pure engagement with the music Sunday demonstrated why she is in such high demand. With instruments more delicate and gentle than the modern violins (her instrument dates back to 1670), the Baroque gut strings present unique challenges even to produce a basic tone with proper pitch and texture. Melsted performed with a buoyant feeling of grace and pleasure that illuminated the music in a very special way.

Medicky was an excellent counterpart. Providing the thematic and harmonic basis from the perspective of three to four voices at a time, the harpsichord had an enormous challenge providing the overall structure with what Melsted described as the equivalent of an entire orchestra. The keyboardist delivered an outstanding performance with precision as needed, but also with supple sensitivity.

The second work on the program, Sonata in G Major for Violin and Continuo (BWV 1021) featured the curiously short third Largo movement and had some interesting, edgy chordal components in the Vivace second.

After intermission was the Sonata in F Minor (BWV 1018) which Medecki described as one of the grimmest in the series, reflecting a feeling of difficult helplessness and even a sense of longing for the grave.

Perhaps it was the power of suggestion, but Melsted’s long-held notes in the first movement evoked longsuffering and quiet desperation.

In contrast, the final Sonata in E Minor (BWV 1016) gave a feeling of bright, clear, ascending clouds and blue sky in the initial Adagio. The Allegro movement had an effervescent feeling of bubbling, spritely humour and melodic enjoyment. The Adagio had a distinct rhythmic regularity to the repeated themes and the final Allegro movement left the crowd with a cooker of dramatic proportions.

For Baroque chamber music fans, this was a rare afternoon of classical music variety and profundity to savour and enjoy.