Gli Incogniti o.l.v. Amandine Beyer (Barokviool): 'False Consonances of Melancholy'

AMANDINE BEYER DISCOVERS INDIVIDUAL MATTEIS

Violinist Amandine Beyer and Gli Incogniti perform music from their latest CD with works by the Italian composer and violinist Nicola Matteis. He was born in Italy in 1650 but moved to London on foot and by hitchhiking around the age of twenty. England at that moment swayed to the gentle tempo of small gamba ensembles. The arrival of the Italian came as a bombshell. The entire palette of emotions and the drama of human existence was musically magnified by Matteis. He stunned the London audience with his double moves and lightning-fast variations. For the reluctant British it was the purest revolution. He also had a remarkable way of playing: he held his violin against his lower ribs and played with an unusually long bow. For the recordings, Amandine Beyer studied the playing technique of this violin virtuoso. “This results in sharp, horny, gripping performances that show us all corners of Matteis' emotional universe. Beyer communicates extremely alertly with her Gli Incogniti companions.” (De Standaard)

Musicians:

Baldo Barciela (viola da gamba)

Yoko Kawakubo (baroque violin)

Francesco Romano (theorbo and baroque guitar)

Anna Fontana (harpsichord)

Amandine Beyer (baroque violin and musical direction)