One viola that has beguiled me for years was made by Matthew Hardie in Edinburgh around 1820 from pieces of a seventeenth century viol … more in a forthcoming blog, I want to do it justice. Miraculously the instrument maintains an incredibly strong C-string despite being a mere 15 1/4inches long providing the combination of sonority and versatility required for some of the more challenging virtuoso repertoire for the viola.
I was thrilled to listen to Peter Sheppard-Skaerved’s recording of Hans Werner Henze’s viola sonata played on this viola which I was able to loan for the project. The Naxos recording is here. For a preview, see Peter’s website here.
