Solo Viola Da Gamba To Die For

Carl Friedrich Abel was an acclaimed virtuoso on the viola da gamba as well as being a successful composer and musical entrepreneur in association with J C Bach and their renowned subscription concerts. It could fairly be said that he was the last of the famed viola da gamba players until the revival of interest in period instruments and early music in the 1960s and 70s, since the instrument became superceded by the cello. Abel left what is known as the Drexel Manuscript which is a treasure trove of solo viola da gamba material for present day enthusiasts and this disk is titled after that manuscript and performed by Paolo Pandolfo. A review described it as probably the best viola da gamba playing you would ever hear and it is hard to disagree. The extracts from the manuscript chosen to be played here are three complete suites, each with dance based segments alonside more abstract movements, plus two further pieces comprising an allegretto and an allegro. Should the idea of eighty minutes of solo viola da gamba music sound daunting, think Bach solo cello suites for the obvious comparison and these works in no way suffer when that comparison is made.