2026 marks two important milestones for the viol consort Fretwork: Firstly, the five musicians are marking the ensemble’s 40th anniversary in October with a concert at Wigmore Hall, where they made their debut in 1986. Secondly, this year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of John Dowland – the composer whose work forms a cornerstone of Fretwork’s repertoire and is a great source of inspiration for the ensemble. As part of their anniversary celebrations, Fretwork has a number of exciting projects in the pipeline that juxtapose the old and the new: »The finest viol consort on the planet« (The London Evening Standard) presents works spanning over 500 years – from the first printed consort music published in Venice in 1501 to pieces composed this year. And everything in between that can be played by a viol consort: Byrd and Schubert, Purcell and Shostakovich, Gibbons and Britten, Dowland and Grieg. The list of composers whom Fretwork has inspired to create new works reads like a who’s who of the most significant contemporary composers: Sir George Benjamin, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Gavin Bryars, Elvis Costello, Alexander Goehr, John Woolrich, Orlando Gough, Sally Beamish, Tan Dun, Barry Guy, Thea Musgrave, John Paul Jones, Nico Muhly, Sir James MacMillan, to name a few.

Last year, Fretwork released albums featuring music by Arvo Pärt, Orlando Gibbons, Nico Muhly and John Jenkins. This year will see the release of »À la recherche du temps perdu«, a collection of French music, as well as John Jenkins’ complete consort music in five parts.

In the past, the ensemble used to fly around the world, but the musicians have now committed to reducing their carbon footprint by travelling exclusively by train or electric car wherever possible when touring Europe. They recently undertook a tour of Germany, France, Spain, Austria and Slovenia in this manner.

Fretwork:
Emilia Benjamin
Reiko Ichise
Joanna Levine
Sam Stadlen
Richard Boothby