Luca Lazzarini & Nicola Reniero - Bach: Sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord

The three sonatas by J S Bach presented on this album rank among the most famous and most performed compositions for viola da gamba, representing some of the key pieces written for this instrument. Nevertheless for this recording was used the viola da braccio, according to the practice of the Baroque era which precedes and accompanies the decline of the viola da gamba. These pieces are composed as a trio sonata, a favourite genre by the Maestro. They are mainly based on polyphonic writing, in which no instrument prevails over the other. In some pieces the organ was used in place of the harpsichord, a choice of the performers to explore new varieties of timbre and offer different instrumental colours.