In a record shop in the heart of the Austrian capital Maddalena del Gobbo – at the time a cello student at the Vienna Conservatory – heard the sounds of a viola da gamba in the background. The magically melancholy, highly emotional sound of this historical instrument touched and inspired the young Italian woman so much that from then on she devoted herself heart and soul to the viola da gamba. In the meantime this mercurial artist is the first gambist to have released solo albums on the premier label Deutsche Grammophon, thus enriching the assortment of repertoire to be found in the record shops of Vienna, and not only there. And yet this wondrously wonderful instrument languished for long years in the shadow of the younger violoncello; the nineteenth century had practically forgotten the gamba. However, in the eighteenth century it was among the most popular musical instruments in the culture of the West, and gamba virtuosi packed concert hall seats everywhere. Carl Friedrich Abel for instance enjoyed such enormous success in his London exile that the youngest Bach son Johann Christian himself travelled to the English capital to found with him the “Bach-Abel Concerts”. His famous half-brother Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, too, was a passionate devotee as composer for the six-stringed “viol for the leg”. Together with the harpsichordist Albert Busettini, Maddalena del Gobbo proves that the poignant sound of the gamba has lost nothing of its power and beauty over the centuries.

Procedure of the dinner concert:
You will first dine in the Orangery of the Hermitage Court Garden (approximately 1 hour) and then enjoy an exclusive concert of approximately 30 minutes in the Sun Temple of the Orangery, limited to 20 people. When purchasing your ticket, you will be asked to choose from one of the menus listed below. Drinks are not included and will be paid for on site.