Richard Boothby (GB)

Richard Boothby has been playing the viol ever since David Fallows handed him a tenor viol in 1977. He was trying to help him with a thesis entitled ‘Wagner’s Ring and it’s tonality’ at Manchester University. After further study with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Salzburg, he helped to find The Purcell Quartet in 1984 and Fretwork in 1985. He has endeavored to enrich the viol-consort repertory with new music from today’s finest composers, from Elvis Costello to George Benjamin, from Alexander Goehr to Nico Muhly. With the Purcell Quartet, he recorded nearly 50 albums for Hyperion and Chandos; and with Fretwork over 50 albums for Virgin Classics, Harmonia Mundi USA and most recently, Signum Classics. He has arranged and transcribed much of the great keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach for viols, which were recorded under the title ‘Alio Modo’; and then his arrangement of the Goldberg Variations was recorded by Fretwork. In 1998 he directed performances of Monteverdi's “L’Incoronazione di Poppea” with the Purcell Quartet; and in 2001 directed them in a fully staged production of “L’Orfeo”, with Mark Padmore in the title role. In 2016, he performed a programme of the fabulous French & English repertory for two bass viols with Christophe Coin. And his recording of the complete lyra viol music of William Lawes for Harmonia Mundi, USA, was released in the same year. The following year he recorded Telemann’s recently discovered Fantasias for Signum Records, and earlier this year his recording of some of Alfonso Ferrabosco’s major lyra viol publication of 1609 was issued, entitled ‘Music to Hear’. He is professor of Viola da Gamba at the Royal College in London.

Telemann Solo Fantasias for viola da gamba
William Lawes Coranto for lyra viol
"Music to Hear...Alfonso Ferrabosco" - Richard Boothby

• A fine performance with not only a great instrumentalist but a fine communicator too (Visitor, Concert in St George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, September 2016)

• Boothby’s performance of the Telemann Fantasias was utterly absorbing. His introductions were illuminating and accessible. His technique is amazing! (Visitor, Concert in St George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, September 2016)

• Richard Boothby’s introductions were precise, eloquent, and intimate. His performance was equally compelling. The relative intimacy of the occasion turned out to be entirely appropriate to the music. (Visitor, Concert in St George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, September 2016)

• A virtuoso delight! (Visitor, Concert in St George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, September 2016)

• The discovery and publication of the Telemann pieces is a wonderful event. Richard Boothby showed his expertise as a world-class performer and a fine scholar of baroque music. His brief spoken introductions to each piece were exemplary and his personality totally engaging. (Visitor, Concert in St George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, September 2016)