On December 19 at Paliesius Manor—a journey through the labyrinths of early music! The renowned Paolo Pandolfo will perform on the viola da gamba, Andrea Buccarella on the harpsichord, and Thomas Boysen on the lute and Baroque guitar.

The program will feature the music of Marin Marais, celebrated for its incredible evocative power and narrative labyrinths. Among the selections is the famous “Le Labyrinthe,” a rare example of an “enharmonic labyrinth” that traverses every possible key. In 18th-century chronicles, this piece was described as a fantastical tale of a person lost in a maze, experiencing a myriad of emotions—from fear to illusion, from desperation to hope. The story’s end is unexpectedly joyous: a charming chaconne that leads back to the original key of A major.

The inventive imagination of M. Marais is simply volcanic and breathtaking. Listening to his music, you will hear everything from the bagpipe-like imitations of a musette to the airy lightness of “Le jeu du Volant”—a piece depicting an early version of the game known today as badminton, where one can almost see the feathered shuttlecock darting from one side of the court to the other, flying up and down… From the imitated sounds of the guitar—an instrument much loved by Louis XIV—reminiscent of an accompaniment to a folk song, to an encounter with mortality in the striking musical epitaph dedicated to the death of his son (“Tombeau pour Marais le Cadet”). From a dramatic musical account of a surgical operation the composer had to endure, to a sudden gust of wind and notes in “Tourbillon”…

Viola da gamba player Paolo Pandolfo has been called “one of the most brilliant and poetic contemporary players of the instrument” (L. Kemp, “Gramophone”, UK). For three decades, the musician’s passionate love for his instrument has driven him to delve into every aspect of the viola da gamba.

Having gained significant experience in both jazz and classical music, Paolo Pandolfo entered the world of early music around 1979 alongside violinist Enrico Gatti and harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini. He studied under Jordi Savall at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. From 1982 to 1990, he was a member of J. Savall’s ensemble Hespèrion XX, touring globally, performing hundreds of concerts, and releasing dozens of recordings across an exceptionally broad repertoire that ranged from the early Renaissance to the late Baroque.

In 1990, he released C. P. E. Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba, thus launching his international solo career. That same year, P. Pandolfo was appointed professor at his alma mater, where he has continued and developed the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis tradition of international excellence in viola da gamba research and pedagogy.

The musician has released numerous CDs, focusing primarily on the solo viol repertoire (M. Marais, A. Forqueray, M. de St. Colombe, T. Hume, C. F. Abel, J. S. Bach, De Machy, F. Couperin, and others). His adaptation of J. S. Bach’s “Six Solo Suites” for the viol immediately became an essential addition to any comprehensive Bach discography and remains a benchmark in many academic and artistic contexts to this day.

An interest in historical improvisation led the musician to the project “Improvisando: 17th-Century Jazz”. P. Pandolfo is also devoted to contemporary music and composition (“Travel Notes”, “Kind of Satie”, “Violatango”, etc.). His most recent major projects include “Regina Bastarda” (a performance and research project dedicated to the virtuosic and deeply poetic music for the Italian viol, popular around 1600), “A Sentimental Journey” (performing Carl Friedrich Abel’s pre-classical sonatas with basso continuo), and “To the World” (featuring all of Alfonso Ferrabosco’s solo “Lyra-Viol Lessons”). A forthcoming project, “Flow our Tears”, is set to be released around the end of 2026: it will feature original compositions by P. Pandolfo, dedicated to and inspired by the new wave of inhumanity the world has been experiencing in recent years.

The musician’s recordings have won numerous awards from major music magazines worldwide. P. Pandolfo is frequently invited to give concerts and masterclasses across the globe. He constantly strives to build bridges between the past and the present, always blending strict philological interpretation with spontaneity and vitality in his performances.

He is convinced that the heritage of early music, combined with revitalized improvisational skills, can serve as a powerful source of inspiration for the future of the Western musical tradition.

Andrea Buccarella is an Italian conductor, harpsichordist, and organist, internationally recognized as one of the leading figures of historically informed performance among the new generation of specialists.

In 2018, he won First Prize and the Outhere Award at the MA Festival Brugge International Harpsichord Competition. Following this success, he embarked on an intensive international career, performing as both a soloist and conductor at major festivals and concert halls across Europe, the United States, Latin America, and Japan.

Since 2012, he has served as the artistic and musical director of the Abchordis Ensemble, with whom he has realized numerous projects dedicated to rediscovering 17th- and 18th-century repertoire. Many of these projects have culminated in modern-day premieres and world premiere recordings. Under his direction, the ensemble won First Prize at the International Handel Competition in Göttingen in 2015.

In addition to his work with the Abchordis Ensemble, Andrea Buccarella is regularly invited as a guest conductor by prominent period-instrument ensembles and orchestras. These include the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Il Pomo d’Oro, the Basel Baroque Orchestra La Cetra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Orchestra.

Highlights among his upcoming performances include G. F. Handel’s opera “Atalanta” at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music and a European tour of N. Porpora’s opera “Mitridate” with the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro during the 2026–2027 season.

Both as a soloist and conductor, he has recorded numerous critically acclaimed albums with labels such as Deutsche Harmonia Mundi / Sony Classical, Challenge Classics, Glossa, and Naïve for The Vivaldi Edition series. His recordings have won major international awards, including the Diapason d’Or, Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Choc de Classica, and Scherzo Excepcional.

Thomas C. Boysen was born in 1970 in Oslo, Norway, to a family of musicians. He studied classical guitar and lute at the Norwegian Academy of Music. After earning his diploma there in 1995, he moved to Germany to study with Prof. Rolf Lislevand at the State University of Music Trossingen.

After completing his studies, the musician established himself as a recognized soloist and continuo player. He has collaborated with the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble, Collegium Vocale Gent, Armonico Tributo Austria, Le Poème Harmonique, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Emma Kirkby, Rolf Lislevand, Paolo Pandolfo, and other ensembles and artists. He has performed in many European countries, the USA, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Korea, Colombia, and Cuba, and has participated in the recording of more than 70 CDs with labels such as Glossa, Naïve, Sony, Harmonia Mundi, and K617.

He has given summer courses and masterclasses in Germany, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico, the USA, and Norway, and currently teaches lute at the Mozarteum University Salzburg in Austria.