Grey Consort

The Elizabethan Golden Age

The finest works of English music resonate to the sound of the viol consort. This highly prized family of instruments inspired the most prolific and brilliant composers not only in England but throughout Europe, from Dowland to Purcell, via Byrd, Gibbons and many others…

The viol consort is, first and foremost, a sound—a very distinctive, intimate, nostalgic timbre that allows everyone to make it their own, according to their temperament and spirit. It is also a sound that can be harnessed to recreate more contemporary music, and it is with this in mind that this ensemble was created.

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A blend of ancient and contemporary works, from different styles and eras, to which an electric guitar has been added, attuned to the stylistic requirements of the violas da gamba… An immersion in a timeless musical still life…

A video of an evolving still life, created by Marc de Pierrefeu, is projected onto a black box made of tulle, three metres square. Through the fabric, three violas da gamba and an electric guitar appear, engaging in a dialogue through a play of light and shadow. The subtle blend of the guitar and the violas da gamba, together with the atmosphere created by the static yet ever-changing image, plunges us into a gentle melancholy…

The performances at the Festival Off Avignon, as part of Interférences, are supported by Spectacle Vivant en Bretagne.