This disc has everything a good viol program should have: rich, reedy, sonorous sound, abundant and lushly textured harmonies, and continuously engaging, inventive melody enhanced by improvisational explorations that both show off the soloist’s artistic ability and vividly illustrate the composer’s well-conceived creations. Charles Dollé followed in the generation after the great master Marin Marais, and his music–as exemplified in these three suites making up his Op. 2–shows a far more modest imagination if nevertheless a well-developed technique and obvious command of the bass viol’s expressive capabilities, firmly rooted in French tradition rather than adopting the newly fashionable Italian style.
Petr Wagner is himself a master of the instrument, drawing tone and temper from his seven-string bass viol that maintains its appeal through the full 70-plus minutes of this world-premiere recital. His (and his harpsichord partner’s) ornaments and dynamic inflections are tasteful and often wonderfully dramatic. Although there’s not a whole lot of musical variety (nor virtuosic material) among the sections of these suites (Dollé seemed more concerned with symmetry and sonority than with originality), the different rhythmic character and structural arrangements of the Allemandes, Sarabandes, Rondeaux, and Musettes keeps things interesting. Sonically, this is ideal, capturing every detail yet giving sufficient space to allow gamba and harpsichord to resonate together–vibrant, consonant, and perfectly scaled to give each equal weight and plenty of presence.
