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From the 16th through the 18th century, the viol, or viola da gamba, was so common that many affluent homes kept multiple specimens in varying sizes in a dedicated chest. The viol was eventually supplanted by other members of the violin family, although in the past half century, early-music specialists like Jordi Savall have contributed to a revival of the instrument. And in the 1980s, Czechoslovakian couple Irena Havlová and VojtÄch Havel also dusted off the viol to reconsider its long history within a modern context.
The Havlovis were members of the Capella Antiqua e Moderna collective, itself a curious ensemble seemingly situated outside of time. Under communism, Western sounds were being smuggled into the country, yet the groupâs repertoire drew from the Renaissance, along with their own minimal compositions. The coupleâs work spans decades, and while they are beloved in their own country, their music has slowly seeped toward the West. La Bl