Friday, 14 March 2025, 7:00 PM – Sydney Opera House – Utzon Room.
The Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney is proud to present Adieu Sweet Love – The Art of Melancholy, a captivating evening of music that transcends the boundaries of Renaissance and Baroque.
Acclaimed as “one of the most brilliant and poetic exponents” (Gramophone) of the viola da gamba, Paolo Pandolfo returns to the Sydney Opera House with a program that showcases the golden age of this historic instrument.
The enchanting repertoire that M.o Pandolfo has devised for this evening includes the refined elegance of de Machy’s French suite, the bold experimentalism of Tobias Hume’s The First Part of Ayres and Pandolfo’s own arrangement of Bach’s second Cello Suite
With each piece, the viola da gamba comes alive, its timeless resonance brought to life by Paolo’s “brilliantly poetic” (Sydney Morning Herald) artistry.
About Paolo Pandolfo
Paolo Pandolfo is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading viola da gamba masters. A former member of Jordi Savall’s esteemed ensemble, Pandolfo has performed as a soloist on the global stage for over three decades.
Since 1990, he has been a professor at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he once studied. His extensive discography includes masterpieces by Marais, Sainte-Colombe, Tobias Hume, de Machy and Couperin. Notably, his adaptation of J.S. Bach’s Six Solo Suites for the viola da gamba is celebrated as a cornerstone in Bach interpretations.
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the artistry of Paolo Pandolfo and the timeless beauty of the viola da gamba.
Presented by the Italian Cultural Institute of Sydney
Program
Tobias Hume
The First Part of Ayres
XLVII. Captain Humes Pavan
XXXIX. Touch me Lightly
XXXVIII. Tickle me Quickly
IX. Adieu, Sweet Love
XLIX. A Soldier’s Galliard
Le Sieur de Machy
Pieces de violle: Suite No.8 in A
I. Prelude
Marin Marais
Le Bandinage
Les Voix Humaines
Jean de Sainte-Colomb
Pieces de viole: Suite in C
VI. Chaconne
Johann Sebastian Bach arr. Paolo Pandolfo
Cello Suite No.2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Prélude – Allemande -Courante –
Sarabande – Menuet 1,2 -Gigue
Carl Friedrich Abel
Viola da Gamba Suite in D Minor
I. Arpeggiata
IV. Adagio
III. Allegro