Back to the future   MARAIS, SAINTE-COLOMBE, HERSANT, PESSON, et.al.

I think there is no longer any need to prove that my instrument is an integral part of our musical landscape. The viol is alive and well. For several decades now, it has inspired new compositions; it’s vocabulary is constantly expanding.

A dialogue between the expected and the unexpected will be presented by the acclaimed gambist Lucile Boulanger. In the space of a single evening, she will explore four centuries of music for the viola da gamba, from Hotman through Demachy, Sainte-Colombe and Marais to Hersant, Sinnhuber and Pesson – a journey into the future and back again. For Boulanger, the viola da gamba is more than a vehicle for a long-gone aesthetic tradition; she brings the instrument into the 21st century by expanding and emancipating its repertoire – not only through the practice of transcription, but also by commissioning contemporary works. Early music often surprises us with its boldness, while new works can sound absolutely familiar.

Lucile Boulanger – Viola da Gamba