Hille Perl

Hille Perl.  Remember that name if you want to immerse yourself in the music of the seventeenth century viola da gamba.  She plays with the touch of an angel and even her name seems to fit the style and sound of the musical world she conjures.  I suspect that Gerrit van Honthorst (1592-1656) is more interested in the fleshy tones and seductive contours of the young woman he paints than the ripe and earthy tones of the viola da gamba she purports to be playing, but it is an appealing image nonetheless.  I wonder what Hille would make of it?  I suspect that she would be pleased to see her beloved instrument promoted regardless of the context.  I wonder though how accurate the young lady's bowing and fingering technique is?  Judging by the look on her face she is clearly enjoying her own music making.  Hille Perle's rather quaint sleeve notes on her Doulce Memoire cd  includes the wish that the music 'may happify (sic) and inspire you'.  It clearly has in this case.  I rather like it too.