Antoine Tamestit

Compared to the violin and cello, the viola is rarely heard soloistically – and wrongly so! Antoine Tamestit demonstrates the wealth of timbre, virtuosity and versatility that the »sandwich child« of string instruments has to offer

Antoine Tamestit
Antoine Tamestit © Philippe Matsas

Compared to their colleagues on the violin and cello, violists usually get the short end of the stick: due to a lack of popular concert repertoire, only a few go on to have a solo career; instead they have to listen to constant viola jokes in the orchestra. One of the few international stars on this instrument is the Frenchman Antoine Tamestit. With his virtuosity and unique tone on his Stradivarius, he overturns all preconceptions and shows how enormously colourful the viola really is.

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