Robert Lach: Sonatas & Lyrische Stücke for Viola d'Amore and Piano

Featuring

Jiao Chen
Valerio Losito
Robert Lach

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Historical Context

The viola d'amore enjoyed considerable success in the 1700s, with composers like Antonio Vivaldi and Attilio Ariosti writing for it, but its popularity declined in the 1800s.

Instruments

The unique sound of the viola d'amore comes from its 'sympathetic strings' which vibrate in resonance with the notes played.

Performer Biography

Valerio Losito, the viola d'amore player on this album, performs on a Ferdinando Gagliano viola d'amore from 1775, on loan from the Elsa Peretti Foundation.

Composer Biography

Robert Lach, an Austrian musicologist and composer, was a professor of musicology and chairman of the Musicological Institute at the University of Vienna from 1917 to 1939.

Historical Context

The viola d'amore experienced a comeback at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, coinciding with renewed interest in early music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Robert Lach's compositions for viola d'amore, unlike those of Paul Hindemith, aimed to show the instrument's expressive potential within a late-romantic style.

Instruments

The viola d'amore, a stringed instrument played under the chin, typically has 12 or 14 strings: 6 or 7 gut playing strings and a similar number of wire sympathetic strings.