There was music in the blood of the Knox family. As the youngest of four children, Garth Knox, who'd been born in Ireland but grew up in Scotland, followed his elder siblings in learning to play stringed instruments. It was the viola that particularly fascinated him and it quickly became apparent that he possessed a rare and special talent.

He studied at the London Royal College of Music where he won several prizes, accolades, and awards. He specialized in Baroque and chamber music, but also ventured into the contemporary field. In 1983, he was invited by Pierre Boulez to join the Ensemble Inter-Contemporain in Paris, which led to him regularly performing solo pieces. In 1990, he joined the Arditti String Quartet, with whom he played the world's major concert halls. He soon began working alongside many of today’s leading classical composers.

It's been ten years since he left the Quartet and in that time Garth Knox has been working almost constantly. He has explored numerous fields such as theatre, dance, film, improvisational experimentation, and has performed with preeminent classical figures.

Perhaps more significantly, though, Knox also began to focus on writing his own music. For this, he has built upon his love of the viola d’amore, playing old and contemporary pieces on this extraordinary instrument.

D’Amore is his first solo album for the ECM label. It contains an entire programme played on the viola d’amore and is described in the album notes as being "in a spirit of discovery and experiment rather than of historical reconstruction." Also in the notes, Knox comments on his enduring affection for the viola d’amore, saying, "I was quickly seduced by the gentle sweet sound of the seven playing strings, so rich in harmonics, and intrigued by the mysterious presence of seven sympathetic strings that add an intimate resonance that happens on the playing strings."

While historically used almost exclusively for small chamber performances, Knox has dedicated his talent to developing an electronic way of amplifying the sympathetic strings, whilst leaving the regular strings with their original sound.

On D’Amore, he is joined by Agnes Vesterman, a world renowned cellist, in this tastefully presented set. His inclusion of a fine balance of the old as well as newer abstract pieces creates a journey of discovery through veils of melancholy that sit comfortably alongside playful, joyous sections.

Above all, the album resonates a supreme mastery of the instrument that ultimately underscores its full potential. The pieces contained are as follows: “Malor Me Bat,” believed written by either of the Flemish masters, Johannes Martini or Albertine Malcourt. Here, Knox semi-improvises and the result is a perfect introduction to the instrument.

“Les Folies d’Espagne” takes listeners into the more traditional area of Marin Marais, a member of the court of Louis XIV. Knox then moves with ease to the modernity of “Manners Of Speaking,” a piece written by contemporary Swiss composer, Roland Moser. He then, just as skillfully, sweeps back four hundred years for Tobias Hume’s “A Pavin,” taken from Musical Humours.

“Prima Lezione,” by Italian composer and pioneer of the viola d’amore, Attilio Ariosti, dates from 1720. Switzerland’s Klaus Huber’s “Plainte” provides an intricate re-tuning of the instrument, resulting in a stunning exploration of a highly evocative and atmospheric piece. The album, at last, concludes with traditional Celtic movements.

Recorded in 2006, this superbly constructed, carefully chosen, and wonderfully performed work is now available in the United States. Please visit Garth Knox at his official website.