Carl Friedrich Abel: The Drexel Manuscript

Featuring

Krzysztof Firlus
Carl Friedrich Abel

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Notable Performances

Carl Friedrich Abel co-founded the Bach-Abel Concerts in 1764 with Johann Christian Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach's eleventh son), which were the first subscription concerts in England.

Cultural Impact

Carl Friedrich Abel's music was largely forgotten for over two centuries and was only rediscovered thanks to the collecting passion of Joseph William Drexel and an unexpected find of manuscripts.

Compositional Technique

Abel's music for viola da gamba, while pleasant to the ear, is technically complex and explores the full capabilities of the instrument, even as it was going out of fashion.

Composer Biography

Carl Friedrich Abel, the composer, was educated by Johann Sebastian Bach, who was godfather to Abel's sister and took care of his musical education at the Leipzig Thomasschule.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in 2023 at the Concert Hall of the Józef Świder 1st and 2nd Degree State Music School in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland.

Performer Biography

Krzysztof Firlus is a versatile musician who plays various instruments, including modern and baroque double bass, and numerous types of viola da gamba, even the rare pardessus de viole.

Instruments

Krzysztof Firlus, the performer, plays a bass viola da gamba made in 2009 by Igor Przybyło, which is a copy of a 1693 instrument by the Parisian luthier Michel Colichon.