Phantasm

Phantasm, an award-winning consort of viols, was founded by Laurence Dreyfus and is the most exciting viol consort active on the world scene today.

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Porträt Henry Purcell, Prophetic Pathfinder https://t.co/BbGMC2CYGk

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

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Orlando Gibbons's intricate, abstract Fantasias were wonderfully brought to life in this concert just four days before the end of his anniversary year by the six players of the outstanding viol consort Phantasm.
Phantasm’s playing is a model of clarity and serene intensity, beautifully balanced between the six instruments, alternating fugal passages with moments when all come together in rhythmic unity.
On this occasion it was the wistful, regretful tone of the fantasias by Gibbons’s long-lived contemporary Thomas Tomkins that seemed to catch the mood. Tomkins lived through the execution of Charles I, and a few days later penned A Sad Pavan for these Distracted Times for keyboard; no violence, no anger, but a topically tragic hope of survival shone through in these superb performances. (Nicholas Kenyon)

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

https://t.co/lHRFELyCib 27 Dec 2025- Phantasm’s viol playing was recently praised by the Guardian for being ‘immaculate in its balance’ and ‘rich in tone and detail’. The group ends the year with a celebration of the simply stunning six-part fantasies of Orlando Gibbons, fitting tribute to a great English composer on the quartercentenary of his death. Its programme also projects the power of 'six' in spectacular consort pieces by John Ward, Thomas Tomkins and William Lawes.

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Phantasm: Bach https://t.co/ci9lDn1dbl 'A viol consort proves an ideal protagonist for Bach.' The Strad (Janet Banks)

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Phantasm in London at the historic Temple Church! https://t.co/7eJ86qHkPt

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

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[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Discos Excepcionales de mayo de 2025 https://t.co/khk5AeFsRx We are treated here to a truly impressive version of The Art of Fugue for viol consort, so magnificently crafted that it seems as if Bach composed it specially for this ensemble, and in which the counterpoint becomes a conversation between voices that seem to have a life of their own, each with its own character within the soundscape. The viols, as they ‘sing’ their lines, not only perform the music, but also embody musical personalities that converse, debate and intertwine in an overall sound architecture of astonishing precision. ...In short, this is a version in which Phantasm, with astounding technical mastery, extracts all the power from each voice with exquisite craftsmanship, resulting in a dazzling naturalness imbued with a spiritual perspective on this great work. -
MANUEL DE LARA RUIZ

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Phantasm (with six viols) and Daniel Hyde in a programme devoted entirely to the music of Orlando Gibbons in his anniversary year - Chapel of King's College Cambridge Sunday 18 May 2025 at 18:30 https://t.co/9KExHanR7O

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Breathtaking: Bach's Art of Fugue - a presentation of Phantasm's CD on Austrian radio https://t.co/hIN35drs4W

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

“Truly bewitching music-making” Bach Art of Fugue LINN Records Phantasm with Daniel Hyde, organ. BBC Music Magazine (Ingrid Pearson) 17 April 2025

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[Linn Records @LinnRecords]

Following its acclaimed Well-Tempered Consort series, @phantasmviol returns to Bach with The Art of Fugue. Led by Laurence Dreyfus, the award-winning viol consort unveils the hidden beauty of this masterpiece.

→ Discover 'Bach: The Art of Fugue' now: https://t.co/GnwCV6pduY

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

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Gramophone review of our Art of Fugue: "In short, a perfect balance of head and heart.”

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

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A first review of Phantasm's CD of Bach's Art of Fugue from Andrew McGregor of BBC Radio 3 on Record Review (1:41:40): “Fugal Bach from that most elegant and beautifully balanced viol consort Phantasm. The plangent sound of the viols has a softness and delicate melancholy that brings a meditative quality to Bach’s The Art of Fugue, and Daniel Hyde’s chamber organ is an effective change of textures and timbres between some of the fugues without breaking the concentration. Classy playing and recording as we’ve come to expect. Phantasm plays Bach’s The Art of Fugue on Linn Records and that arrived yesterday.”

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Phantasm's new Art of Fugue recording to be released 14 March 2025. Here we are practicing in Alexander Polzin's art studio surrounded by his sculptures of J.S. Bach!

[Linn Records @LinnRecords]

- @phantasmviol bring Bach’s The Art of Fugue to life, revealing its dynamic interplay. Joined by Daniel Hyde for 4 movements, this recording follows their acclaimed Well-Tempered Consort series.

→ Preorder the album (out 14/03) and listen to the single: https://t.co/GnwCV6pduY

[Linn Records @LinnRecords]

- @phantasmviol bring Bach’s The Art of Fugue to life, revealing its dynamic interplay. Joined by Daniel Hyde for 4 movements, this recording follows their acclaimed Well-Tempered Consort series.

→ Preorder the album (out 14/03) and listen to the single: https://t.co/GnwCV6pduY

[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

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[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

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[Phantasm @phantasmviol]

Eine Kritik von Clemens Goldberg https://t.co/egibxjuTps