Palliser Viols and soprano Pepe Becker Photo: Jonathan Kingston-Smith
Robert Oliver QSM is well-known particularly in the field of early music. He was a member of the Troubadours and Ensemble Dufay in the 1970s and ‘80s, and as the director of the choir Cantoris, Robert led the first original instrument performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ in Australasia. He's also a bass viol player, a tenor, and has been responsible for many first performances in New Zealand of composers such as Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Heinrich Schütz.
Around ten years ago, he founded Palliser Viols. The ensemble will be performing two concerts with soprano Pepe Becker at the end of September, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the death of English composer William Byrd.
Robert Oliver talked with David Morriss about the concerts, how he came to play the viol and the history of the instrument. He talked about the sound of a violin and the sound of a viol "coming at you in a different way".
"The violin sound comes out and kind of grabs you by the scruff of the neck, shakes you up and gets you all excited," says Robert.
"The viol sound sort of envelops you in a different way. It has quite a different kind of character which I think is why the two [instrument] families were played side by side for the 300 years or so of the viol's popularity."
Mirth & Solace
Palliser Viols with Pepe Becker
Saturday 30 September, 2pm, Futuna Chapel, Karori (full version)
Friday 29 September 12.45pm, Wellington Cathedral of St Paul (shorter version)
