text: LIAM BYRNE spends most of his time playing either very old or very new music on the viola da gamba. An obsession with the instrument’s most obscure 16th and 17th century repertoire is a recurring theme in his work, whether in devising baroque performance installations for the Victoria & Albert museum, or in collaboration with the Appalachian fiddler Cleek Schrey, or creating new electronic works with Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurðsson.
  Liam has played and recorded with many of Europe’s leading Early Music ensembles, including the Huelgas Ensemble, Dunedin Consort, The Sixteen, i Fagiolini, and the viol consorts Phantasm, Concordia, and most notably Fretwork, with whom he toured and recorded extensively for several years.
  ANDREAS AREND is a lutenist and compose. His Lyria Polyversalis, designed together with viola maker Valentin Oelmüller, is a lute-type instrument that combines features of the guitar and the viola da gamba.
  The Lyra Polyversalis is about the size of a large guitar. It has six metal strings in guitar tuning, metal frets, and mechanical pegs. The bridge is rounded to allow for striking of the individual strings. There is a bass bar and sound post in the body. With these characteristics it is quite close to the Arpeggione, though it differs in its playing technique, repertoire, profile, and string material.
  The music of the Lyra Polyversalis is usually distributed over three tonal levels: plucked, bowed and struck. This basic variety of sound production distinguishes it from similar instruments, bringing it closer to the organ with its multiple registers.