The Goldberg Variations for harpsichord are a pinnacle of Bach s compositional output. Like many of Bach's works, it has been transcribed for many different solo instruments and instrumental combinations. Fretwork's version for viol consort is one of the most unusual, in that it looks backward in time instead of forward. Bach was essentially a conservative composer, well grounded in the styles and structures of the past. His fondness for the sound of the viola da gamba is well documented and it provides additional justification for re-projecting this masterpiece of counterpoint through the sound-lens of 'old fashioned' instruments.
