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1. There’s more variety than a New York deli
If you’re a bit of a musical omnivore, then you won’t want to miss this guided tour of one thousand years of music. When playing together as a trio, Garth Knox, Sylvain Lemêtre and Agnès Vesterman like to present as wide a range of music as possible, taking audiences back to the 11th century, whizzing on through the baroque years, right up to work by contemporary Irish composers and even a new Music Network commission from Garth himself.
2. You’ll fall madly in love with a lush viola
You’re unlikely to hear anything like this tasty combination of instruments anywhere else. Cello and percussion are merged with the sounds of the viola, as well as Garth’s medieval fiddle (where all the strings are played at the same time) and the lush viola d’amore, an 18th century instrument that’s kind of like a normal viola but actually has 14 strings: 7 to play and 7 ‘sympathetic strings’ that resonate underneath to fill out the harmonies.
3. The Saltarello Trio really care about what you think!
Saltarello Trio don’t do lofty. They like to do everything they can to break down any metaphorical barriers around the stage, reacting to how the audience responds to each piece of music as they go. If the trio think something’s interesting, they’ll take the time to stop and share that with us. There’s nothing you need to know beforehand – just open your ears, sit back and enjoy it.
4. Hear a very unique new piece
You’ll have a chance to hear one of the first performances of Cloak, a new piece by Garth Knox commissioned especially for this tour. Garth describes it as being something almost site-specific for the tour, making the most of the many different musical colours the trio can produce together.
5. Discover something really special that not many people know
Vivaldi is a familiar composer to many, and is perhaps most famous for “The Four Seasons”, one of his concertos for violin and orchestra. However, in the words of Michael Cain, not many people know that he wrote a Concerto for viola d’amore too. And it is an absolute stunner. Listen for yourself below, then come and hear Garth play it live in March.
Saltarello Trio are on tour with Music Network from 25 February - 7 March 2020, with concerts in Paris, Belfast, Derry, Portstewart, Clifden, Castlebar, Wexford, Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Castlepollard. Tickets cost from €10-€20, depending on the venue. Book now at musicnetwork.ie.