Free from all

The sound of a viol consort seems to float lightly; the strings of the viols, which sound in different registers from soprano to bass, combine with a silken sheen, almost weightless - free from everything. This consort was particularly popular in England around 1600 and "a chest of viols" (a box with a set of different viols) was a must in every self-respecting household. The most important English composers wrote beautiful music for this instrument: from dance movements and fantasies to complex polyphonic compositions, which brought the repertoire for viol consort to a pinnacle. The "chest of viols" of the Ensemble Private Musicke has compiled highlights from English viol music by composers such as Holborne, Dowland, Ferrabosco II, Tye and Coperario and takes the listener on a journey through heaven.