Paolo Pandolfo plays the complete Bach Cello Suites in the stunning acoustic of Hobart Town Hall.

JS Bach's six Suites for Solo Cello are pillars of classical music, famously popularised by Pablo Casals: "they are the very essence of Bach, and Bach is the essence of music".

Van Diemen's Band is proud to present one of the world's great musicians, virtuoso gamba player Paolo Pandolfo, in an Australian exclusive performance of the six Suites - adapted for viola da gamba by Pandolfo himself.

Widely acclaimed as the "Yo-Yo Ma of the viola da gamba", Pandolfo's adaption of the six Suites for gamba are a milestone in the history of Bach's music, bringing a fresh new interpretation to these iconic works. 

Full of thoughtfulness and imagination, Pandolfo's revelatory version traverses the borders between the 'old world' of the gamba and the new one of the cello‚ throwing a new light onto that older world to summon the ‘ancient footsteps’ which echo through the solo gamba repertoire and on into Bach’s bright new cello dawn.

Pandolfo will perform the six Suites over two remarkable concerts at Hobart Town Hall:

Concert 1 - 2pm - Suites 1, 5 and 3

Concert 2 - 6pm - Suites 4, 2 and 6

Tickets can be purchased separately to Concert 1 and 2, or together as a 2-concert package.

Please note that there are two different ticket types - Premium and Standard - denoting different seating areas within the venue. Seating within each of these areas is unallocated. Click here to view the seating map.

"...one of the most brilliant and poetic of the instrument’s current exponents..."
— Gramophone UK
"Paolo Pandolfo performs this most demanding music with the greatest aplomb [and] pure sound "
— The Strad
"He creates the most beautiful gamba sound you've ever heard — a singing tone that never loses its line even when the line is decorated with an efflorescence of the most fantastic fingerings … he's an extremely expressive player. Even the most dazzling virtuosity seems interior."
— The Boston Phoenix

About the artist

Paolo Pandolfo is one of the world's leading viola da gamba soloists. His passionate love for the viola da gamba led him to deepen and research all aspects of the instrument.

After significant experiences in both Jazz and classical music, he entered the world of Early Music around 1979 together with violinist Enrico Gatti and harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini, studying with Jordi Savall at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. From 1982 until 1990 he was a member of Savall's ensemble Hesperion XX and performed with them throughout the world, making hundreds of concerts and dozens of recordings, playing an extremely wide repertory going from early Renaissance to late Baroque.

In 1990 he published the C.P.E. Bach Sonatas for viola da gamba, giving a start to his world career as a soloist. In the same year he was appointed professor at his alma mater, continuing and forwarding the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis tradition of international excellence for research and pedagogy of the viola da gamba. 

He released a large number of CDs, mainly concentrating on the soloistic viol repertoire (Marais, Forqueray, St.Colombe, T.Hume, C.F.Abel, J.S.Bach, De Machy, Couperin, etc.).

His adaptation of J.S. Bach's Six Solo Suites for the viol became immediately a “must” for any complete Bach discography.

Partners

Paolo Pandolfo, viola da gamba

CONCERT 1

JS BACH arr. P. PANDOLFO

Suite No.1 BWV 1007

Suite No.5 BWV 1011

Suite No.3 BWV 1009

CONCERT 2

JS BACH arr. P. PANDOLFO

Suite No.4 BWV 1010

Suite No.2 BWV 1008

Suite No.6 BWV 1012

Event and ticketing details

Date & Time

Concert 1 - Suites 1,5,3 Sun 9 March
2.00pm Assistive listening
Concert 2 - Suites 4,2,6 Sun 9 March
6.00pm Assistive listening

Tickets

Single Concert - Premium Seating $59.00 for either Concert 1 or 2
Single Concert - Premium Concession $55.00 for either Concert 1 or 2
Single Concert - Standard Seating $55.00 for either Concert 1 or 2
Single Concert - Standard Concession $49.00 for either Concert 1 or 2
Concert 1 & 2 - Premium Seating $110.00 includes both concerts
Concerts 1 & 2 - Premium Concession $100.00 includes both concerts
Concerts 1 & 2 - Standard Seating $100.00 includes both concerts
Concerts 1 & 2 - Standard Concession $90.00 includes both concerts
$30 under 30 $30.00 Limited availability
Companion Card Holder Free

Booking Fees

Per booking Our ticketing provider, Humanitix, passes on a small booking fee to cover the cost of service and merchant fees. 100% of booking fee profits are donated to charity by Humanitix.

Location

Hobart Town Hall

50 Macquarie Street, nipaluna/Hobart TAS 7000

Get directions

Accessibility

Wheelchair Access
Assistive listening Assistive Listening

Assistive Listening Devices are available at Hobart Town Hall to assist with hearing artist introductions and talking between pieces using the microphone. Just see our friendly door team to pick one up. If you use a mobility aid (scooter / walker / cane etc), have a visual impairment, are neurodivergent or need something to help make your concert experience an enjoyable one for you, please email us at info @ vandiemensband.com.au (you'll need to type the address in without the spaces otherwise the bots won't leave us alone!). Let us know what you need and we'll do our best to help out.

Event notes

Duration

Each Concert runs for approx 1 hour.

Ticket Types

Please note that there are two different ticket types - Premium and Standard - denoting different seating areas within the venue. Seating within each of these areas is unallocated. Click here to view the seating map.

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