Abel: Pieces for Viola da Gamba

In his second album at NativeDSD, Ralph Rousseau performs Pieces for Viola da Gamba composed by Carl Friedrich Abel. This is a DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD release. Available in Stereo and 5 Channel DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD plus Stereo DSD 512. Even though Abel left behind a sizable oeuvre, including many symphonic works, he is maybe best remembered for his extraordinary compositions for the “queen of all instruments”, as he called it: the viola da gamba. Having been a true celebrity in the second half of the 18th century, Carl Friedrich Abel has since been largely forgotten. At least, forgotten outside of the viola da gamba community. He was a cellist, composer, and viola da gamba virtuoso, most well-known for his establishment and subsequent managing, together with a son of the great J.S., Johann Christian Bach, of the appropriately-named and extremely successful Bach-Abel concert series in London. With the Bach-Abel series coming to an end in 1782, Abel returned to his fatherland for inspiration and in order to be introduced to the latest musical fashion. He composed several sonatas in the Berlin style of the time before returning to London, where he died a few years later. Even though Abel left behind a sizable oeuvre, including many symphonic works, he is maybe best remembered for his extraordinary compositions for the “queen of all instruments”, as he called it: the viola da gamba. Every viola da gamba player is familiar with some of his work. Many of us have started our education with the easy pieces with basso continuo, gradually moving to the extremely demanding and rich repertoire for solo viola da gamba. It is this repertoire that is recorded on this album.

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Ralph Rousseau, Viola da Gamba