The viol, also known as the viola da gamba, is an ancient and fragile creature, with a silky sound that approximates the human voice. The fact that this 15th century Spanish predecessor of the guitar is still heard and played is a testament to its beauty. You can hear not one, but a whole ensemble of viols on…
During his recent visit to Sydney, The New Yorker’s music critic Alex Ross quoted Schopenhauer: “Music….is..a universal language”. Ross asserts that it is “…nothing of the sort. One man’s favourite tune is another woman’s noise”. You can consider this for yourself when the Sydney Chamber Choir presents “Lamentations” on Palm Sunday. In back to back programmes…