Gamba

“the music here is really quite wonderful and played (the occasional lapse of ensemble notwithstanding) with palpable affection and devotion and is recorded with clarity and dynamism…

"Bach's three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord (BWV 1027-1029) were written around the year 1740. At those time Bach was Thomaskantor in Leipzig and also director of the Collegium Musicum, a chamber music society. Hille Perl was born in 1965 as daughter of a musicologist and harpsichordist. She studied viola da gamba with some of the leading experts in the field of historically informed performance. For more than 30 years she is travelling around the world, playing con certs and recording CDs ( more than 25) with different groups or soloizing, mostly in the field of 17th and 18th century music. Michael Behringer, born in 1956, studied church music, harpsichord and organ playing. He is travelling the world extensively, giving concerts with Jordi Savall, Musica Antiqua Koln, Hesperion XX, Freiburger Barockensemble and many more."

Johann Sebastian Bach's three "Gamba Sonatas" (BWV 1027-1029) may be among his best-known works, but in contrast to their popularity, we know little concrete information about their composition and possible dedications. A version for three string instruments could appear somewhat unorthodox at ?rst glance, but may in fact be a little closer to its presumed origin. And although the string trio led by cellist Johannes König plays on modern instruments, its interpretation is inspired by insights from historical performance practice. With its version of the "Gamba Sonatas", the ensemble wishes to contribute to a historically informed, yet undogmatic and diverse performance that emulates Bach‘s own joy in experimentation.

Rumon Gamba leads the BBC Philharmonic in this collection of lesser-known pieces by the British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold. Born in 1921, he was inspired by Louis Armstrong to take up the trumpet at the age of twelve.

"Excellent performances and superlative sound make this a most enjoyable overture to what should prove to be a most worthwhile enterprise."

Johann Sebastian Bach's three "Gamba Sonatas" (BWV 1027-1029) may be among his best-known works, but in contrast to their popularity, we know little concrete information about their composition and possible dedications. A version for three string instruments could appear somewhat unorthodox at ?rst glance, but may in fact be a little closer to its presumed origin. And although the string trio led by cellist Johannes König plays on modern instruments, its interpretation is inspired by insights from historical performance practice. With its version of the "Gamba Sonatas", the ensemble wishes to contribute to a historically informed, yet undogmatic and diverse performance that emulates Bach‘s own joy in experimentation.

Antoine Tamestit and his artistic partner Masato Suzuki, a soloist in the famous Bach Collegium Japan, have immersed themselves in Bach’s three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord in order to give a sublime interpretation of them on the viola – both instruments use the same alto clef, even if the projection of the sound is entirely different. So this is no transcription, but leaves the artists in total freedom to rediscover with delight these all too rarely played masterpieces!

The three sonatas by Bach of this album are likely to rank among the most famous and most performed compositions for viola da gamba, and they represent one of the tops of the literature for this instrument. Nevertheless for this recording was used the viola da braccio, according to the practice of the Baroque era which precedes and accompanies the decline of the viola da gamba. These pieces are composed as a trio sonata, a favourite genre by the Maestro. They are mainly based on polyphonic writing, in which no instrument prevails over the other. In some pieces the organ was used in place of the harpsichord, a choice of the performers to explore new varieties of timbre and off er diff erent instrumental colours.

Playing together while retaining each other’s individuality: this could be the motto of Margaux Blanchard and Diego Ares, who have produced a renewed interpretation of an iconic repertoire for viola da gamba and harpsichord. Three sonatas that crown Johann Sebastian Bach’s affection for these two instruments.