After the viola da gamba was supplanted by the cello in the 18th century, the rise of historical performance practice in the 1960s took it out of the dust for the first time. The beautiful music film 'Tous les matins du monde' from 1991 contributed to a further revaluation of this versatile instrument. One of the most brilliant and poetic viola da gamba players of the moment is the Italian Paolo Pandolfo. In addition to numerous other recordings, Pandolfo's performance of Bach's sonatas for viola da gamba and obbligato harpsichord has become a reference. Bach's preference for the mild and varied timbre of the viola da gamba is clearly evident from several grandiose passages in his oeuvre that he has assigned to this instrument... Just listen to the sublime 'Es ist volkend' from the St John Passion or to the aria 'Komm, süßes Kreuz' from the St. Matthew Passion.
