Susanne Heinrich, Jonathan Manson

This is the fourth in a season of six concerts organised by Totnes Early Music Society in association with The Arts at Dartington.

18th-century Europe was a melting pot of cultures, fashion and languages. At its geographical centre, German composers borrowed, adapted, and recycled musical styles from other European cultures, following the rapidly changing fashions of the time, European capitals were expanding fast, and the growing urban middle classes developed a huge appetite for new and foreign fashion, music and food, attracting immigrants from all over Europe.

Tonight's programme shows an interesting cross section of German composers who took an interest in writing for the viola da gamba using an eclectic mix of European musical styles, showing off their adaptability and skills.

Susanne Heinrich (viol) has performed with many leading period-instrument ensembles, and for many years toured worldwide with the Palladian Ensemble. Until 2008 she was a founder member of Charivari Agréable, with which she has made sixteen recordings, most of which feature her as a solo artist. One of the leading viol players of her generation, Susanne taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and took on the administration of the Viola da Gamba Society in 2009..

Jonathan Manson (viol) is a founding member of the viol consort Phantasm. His recordings with Trevor Pinnock of the Bach sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord are acclaimed, and he has appeared with leading ensembles including the Dunedin Consort, Arcangelo and the OAE, and in recitals with Elizabeth Kenny, Carolyn Sampson, and Iestyn Davies.

As a concerto soloist he has played at the Wigmore Hall, the South Bank Centre, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. He is professor for baroque cello and viola da gamba at the Royal Academy of Music.