Dialogue Viols – Violas da Gamba Duo
Peter Wendland & Jacqui Robertson-Wade
Dialogue Viols was formed to bring the beautiful yet rarely performed music of the French Baroque for two violas da gamba to audiences. This includes the rich source of music for the smallest members of the viola da gamba family, the six pardessus de viole and five string quinton, as well as the seven string bass viola da gamba, also known as bass viol.
If it wasn’t for lockdown, Peter Wendland and Jacqui Robertson-Wade, who are established performers and teachers, may not have started playing viols together! However, musicians everywhere learnt how to use technology to enable them to continue working and playing music together. Peter and Jacqui were living in different countries when they started to play viols online and were able to explore new repertoire and develop specialist concert programmes. They share a love of French Baroque music and enjoy playing different sizes of viol. Now that lockdown is over, they rehearse in person as well as online.
Latest News
Jacqui and Peter are happy to announce First Hand Records will be distributing their Premier
recording of a recently discovered engraved score containing six sonatas by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier for two pardessus de viole. The score is only available from Atelier Philidor.
Peter Wendland and Jacqui Robertson-Wade’s world premiere recording of Boismortier’s Op. 63 will be out on radio and streaming platforms on March 7th 2025.
Here’s a taster from the disc to listen click here.
Click the album cover to Pre order yours now!
Supported by Angel Early Music
Great news!
Dialogue Viols have been awarded two grants from the Continuo Foundation and Angel Early Music towards a recording of their new programme called ‘Before the Guillotine.’ Joined by Ibrahim Aziz and Lynda Sayce, Peter and Jacqui are now enjoying playing repertoire for the quinton – (hybrid viol/violin), as well as bass viols. The programme, which features French and Italian music for two quintons and continuo by Dandrieu, Hotteterre, Corelli, Morel, Marais and Leclair, with a trio for three bass viols, by Forqueray. Our recording, in April 2025, is rather special as we will be playing original viols and cello.
Enormous thanks to the Countinuo Foundation and Angel Early Music for making this possible.
Concerts
Before the Guillotine
Baroque viols; how high and low can you go? The sound of a single bass viol is wonderful. The sound of two bass viols is fantastic. The sounds of three bass viols is awesome!
Our programme starts in France from the end of 17th century, with the rise in popularity of the violin and the pardessus de viole, with music by Corelli, and Hotteterre played on tiny viols. The violin shaped viol, the quinton, developed sometime after the opening in 1725 of the first French series of public concerts, the Concert Spirituel, in the spacious hall of the Palais des Tuileries, where it could project. We play Morel and Marais in a combination of quinton and bass viol with continuo, that could be heard in the Palace of Versailles; the viola da gamba marathon, the famous Sonnerie de Sainte Geneviève du Mont de Paris.
Finally, for three bass viols, we play Forqueray.
Before the Guillotine
Saturday 1st February 2025 at 3.30pm Blackheath Quaker Meeting House, 2 Lawn Terrace, Blackheath, London SE3 9LL
Tickets can be booked online or on the door https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/violncello/t-qjojgye
Before the Guillotine
Sunday 16th February 2025 at 3.30pm Friends Meeting House, Market Street, Charlbury, Chipping Norton, OX7 3PH
Tickets can be booked online or on the door https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/jacqui/t-dvzjzgg
Comments from the 19th January concert in North Devon:
“Beautiful music and talented musicians.”
“You played so well together, your ensemble sounded like one instrument.”
“I was transported to a different time and place. Splendid! Thank you.”
