The Excellency of Hand: English Viola da Gamba Duos From the Hills highlighting Ye’s ability to blend

highlighting Ye’s ability to blend traditional Chinese elements with Western classical music

cohesive portrait in which solo brilliance and symphonic imagination are fused with striking assurance and colour

the album moves from the fluid harmonies of a Konkani wedding song to deep somatic meditations inspired by the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore

The sixteenth-century madrigal

are rediscovered here with a sensitivity and clarity that highlight their timeless charm and sophisticated craftsmanship

The Excellency of Hand: English Viola da Gamba Duos From the Hills highlighting Ye’s ability to blendRobert Smith (viola da gamba) Paolo Pandolfo (viola da gamba) Following on from his critically acclaimed recording of solo English viola da gamba works (Tickle the Minikin), founder member of Fantasticus, Robert Smith, returns with this album of English works for viola da gamba duo. Smith is joined in this collaboration by the prolific and celebrated gambist Paolo Pandolfo. Featuring a selection of seventeenth century repertoire from Christopher