Maddalena Del Gobbo - Maddalena and the Prince (2019) [Hi-Res]

Join me in dipping into the world of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, who was known as “the Magnificent”, and his beloved music. The baritone, the instrument on this album, is also magnificent: six (gut) strings to be bowed, nine or more resonating strings (made of metal), a carved head atop the neck, delicate ornamentation and a noble, graceful sound.

Maddalena and the Prince: the prince being Nikolaus Esterházy as well as the noble instrument – in my opinion the baritone is the “prince” of instruments, which can produce the loveliest and most charming sound and whose appearance alone makes hearts leap.

The thrill of recording these works in the Haydnsaal of the Esterházy Palace, drinking in the atmosphere of this magical location while playing, was an unforgettable experience for me and one for which I am truly grateful.

Maddalena Del Gobbo is the only Deutsche Grammophon Viola da Gamba recording artist. An award winning musician, she has performed extensively across Europe and in Asia.

Maddalena first came in contact with the viola da gamba when she entered a record shop on the heart of Vienna and was mesmerized by an enchanting sound she would never forget. She still finished her studies as a cellist, received a MA and performed in many concert halls as a soloist and chamber musician. All this time, she never forgot the viol and secretly honed her skills until, one day, she decided to make the viol her focal point and to dedicate her life to baroque music.

Maddalena Del Gobbo was born in Italy and started studying music at a very early age. At the age of four, she began learning the piano and gradually added the cello and singing to her musical education. At 13 years old, her unusual talent brought her to Vienna, where she studied the cello at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität.

“Sensuality, brilliance and an utterly perfect technique” (Heinz Sichrovsky, NEWS (Austria)

"This album charts a significant but little-documented episode in the history of Western music, the decade-long obsession of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy for the baritone. The instrument is a Baroque-era elaboration of the viola da gamba, similar in shape and with seven gut playing strings, which are bowed and stopped at frets. But the baritone also has 10 sympathetic strings, which run under the fingerboard. A hole in the back of the neck allows the player to pluck these strings with the thumb of the left hand, and in the Baroque era, music for baritone often consisted of a bowed melody line accompanied by a plucked thorough bass." (Fanfare magazine)

Maddalena Del Gobbo, baritone, viola da gamba
Robert Bauerstatter, viola
David Pennetzdorfer, cello
Ewald Donhoffer, harpsichord (Tracks 7–11)