Paolo Pandolfo, solo viola da gamba (bass viol).
His bowing technique is awe-inspiring, and at times so fast that the bow looks as though it is bending. He made the viol produce sounds I didn't know a viol could make: in a Tobias Hume piece called A Soldier's Resolution it started out as bagpipes and went through trumpets and drums.
Programme -
Five pieces by Tobias Hume (c. 1600)
Le Sieur de St Colombe: Prelude and Chaconne (late 1600s)
Marin Marais: Les Voix Humaines, Le Badinage (c. 1700). A reminder that Pandolfo played with Jordi Savall (of Tous Les Matins Du Monde fame).
Then two of Pandolfo's own compositions. Stunning and exciting. The improvisation became so intense that it seemed the viol would break under the strain, but just before it could shatter into shards to be flung out across the hall, the music relaxed, only to wind up again.
Finally, J.S. Bach: Sonata for 'cello, transcribed by Pandolfo, which he introduced with an explanation of why he felt it was appropriate to play the 'cello sonatas on bass viol.
More information -
http://www.paolopandolfo.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Pandolfo
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