Recording our beautiful rare historical viols!

Who are we?

Hi all, we are musicians and colleagues Henrik Persson and Caroline Ritchie and we met when we both studied with the late Richard Campbell and have now been playing together for over 20 years. Together we have toured globally with groups such as New London Consort whilst continuing to develop our chamber music and consort projects together. 

In 2015, we founded Newe Vialles newevialles.co.uk, bringing together some of the most talented and brilliant period instrumentalists of our generation to explore music from Elizabethan era to the Golden age of English consort music, up until the French virtuoso repertoire and beyond.

What is this project about?

These days, we both have the good fortune to be playing and performing on two exceptionally rare and beautiful English 6 string viols. Henrik plays a viol by Edward Lewis, built in London in 1703 and kindly loaned by Jane Julier. Caroline plays a John Pitts instrument from even earlier, London 1675, formerly belonging to our teacher Richard Campbell. 

Together with fellow Newe Viallist and lutenist Lynda Sayce and guitarist James Akers, we set about devising a programme of music to fit these two fantastic instruments. If the early owners of these viols had met, what music would they have played?

Over a series of concerts, we have explored division music by John Jenkins, Christopher Simpson, and Daniel Norcombe, and duos by William Young and Benjamin Hely. We have also made our own arrangements of some of the popular ballads and division tunes of the time.

Now, together with our plucked continuo players Lynda and Jamie, it is time to record this wonderful repertoire in two CDs, one of duos with continuo and one solo album featuring Henrik and the Lewis. We will also be recording videos of some of this, so people can see us in action! 

Both albums and videos will be recorded by Robin Bigwood and released on Barn Cottage Records, so we are certainly in good hands.

What will the money go towards?

The recording industry has changed hugely in the past few years and each group is now required to fund their own projects to a very large extent. Not only do we have to pay our superb recording engineer and producer, we must also meet the costs for the after-editing work, travel expenses and accommodation, the art work, and of course, the production cost of the physical albums themselves. 

You can help us making this project come to life by donating whatever amount you feel to be right for you, no matter how small a sum, and please do have a look at the reward tiers on the side! Absolutely every little helps and we are so very grateful for your support for our venture! 

Newe Vialles in concert in Fertans, France 2022.