Arts at the Waelderhaus: Valencia Baryton Project

The Valencia Baryton Project has dedicated itself to performing music written for an ancient and little-known instrument: the baryton. A cross between the viol da gamba and lirone, with 10 resonating and plucked strings down the back of the instrument, the baryton gives the traditional string trio an entirely new dimension.

The Valencia Baryton Project is a collective founded by Valencia-based barytonist Matthew Baker with the vision of performing the nearly 170 works written by Franz Joseph Haydn and compositions by other modern and classical composers. At the heart of the ensemble is the traditional trio formation —baryton, viola, and violoncello—for which Haydn wrote 123 works of outstanding beauty during his time as the court composer for Prince Esterhazy of Austria.

Matthew Baker – Baryton
Brett Walfish – Viola
Ismar Gomes – Cello