Strings Amore

Presented by Chamber Music New Zealand, in partnership with the Arrowtown Creative Arts Society (ACAS), string quintet Strings Amore will be led by the complicated but beautiful “viola d’amore" in a performance that features pieces by Telemann, Bach, Vivaldi, and Graupner.

One of the rarest, sweetest instruments played in Baroque chamber music, it brings dramatic highlights to this much-anticipated Arrowtown concert. There are only four such instruments in New Zealand – such is its rarity, and its difficulty to master.

A viola has four strings and is pitched slightly lower than a violin. However, the viola d’amore, first made in the seventeenth century, has fourteen strings in two layers of seven. The top layer is played by the musician’s bow, while the seven underneath resonate the played notes on “sympathetic” strings.

Strings Amore brings together Donald Maurice (viola d’amore), Martin Riseley (violin), Rupa Maitra (violin), Sophia Acheson (viola), Margaret Guldborg (cello) in a programme that showcases the viola d’amore.

With this rare instrument, the audience can anticipate a sweet and gentle sound where the underlying sympathetic strings create an extra resonance that seems like a portable cathedral acoustic.

Note: Cash bar available and canapés served from 5.30pm for a 6pm concert start.