Harke, Harke! Lyra Violls Humors & Delights

With this new recording, Bruno Cocset's Les Basses Réunies propose a journey back to 17th-century England, centring on the work of Tobias Hume, an emblematic musician of the viola da gamba and, more precisely, the lyra violl. This exploration in terms of music as much as of sound, presents three instruments that have just come from the hands of instrument-maker Charles Riché (seconded by Friederike Dangel). A distinguished guest, the talented Italian gambist Guido Balestracci, plays a selection of solo pieces by the famous soldier composer. The Lyra violl is also accompanist for pieces composed for a dessus and Lyra violl, in which case Bruno Cocset plays his little 'bastarda alto' viol. The continuo, subtle and lush, brings together Bertrand Cuiller on the two harpsichords (one strung with brass wire, the other with gut strings), and Richard Myron on the large bass in G.