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Locke: The Little Consort / Fretwork
Signum Classics

Locke: The Little Consort / Fretwork

$19.99

Details

Composer
Matthew Locke
Artist
Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston, Fretwork
Format
CD
Label
Signum Classics
Released
Nov 11, 2022
Catalog #
SIGCD728
UPC
635212072820

About

In November 2022 Fretwork return for the second instalment of their cycle of works by Matthew Locke. Matthew Locke was born 400 years ago in 1622, and while he is often ranked as one of England’s finest composers, he is still unaccountably neglected: his music may not be as immediately appealing as his immediate successor, Henry Purcell, nor as wide-ranging as William Byrd, yet his forceful musical personality and luxuriant technique place him in the first echelon of English composers, with his works described by Richard Boothby of Fretwork as having a “quixotic, capricious restlessness that is constantly challenging the listener to follow his argument ... a thrilling musical ride”. Accompanying Fretwork on continuo for this recording are David Miller (archlute and theorbo) and Silas Wollston (harpsichord). The cover of the album bares an inscription in the walls by the choir stall of Exeter Cathedral, thought to have been carved by the composer during his time as a member of the choir there.

REVIEWS:

In most of the suites, Fretwork exploits the textural and percussive effects of the theorbo and harpsichord - both played with terrific flair - which articulate the all-pervasive dance rhythms. In the serene F major Suite No. 6, omitting the continuo highlights the sparse transparency of the three-part texture and Fretwork ‘play plain’ its interlaced melodies, weaving them into a sheer fabric of sound.

The players obviously relish these convivial musical conversations and the album makes for felicitous listening and, for the uninitiated, a perfect introduction to Locke’s viol consorts.

-- BBC Music Magazine

An intriguing recording: on first playing, I found this album difficult to get into, an experience. However, with repeated listenings it did it start to reveal its true – and beautiful – self. These ‘Pavans, Ayres, Corants and Sarabands’ by Matthew Locke are strange things indeed. It is the strangely shifting, uncanny edge to Locke’s music that is his trademark – and Fretwork here transform it into something beguiling.

Most intriguing are the fleeting moments when Fretwork do not sound like a viol consort. Locke’s designation of the book as ‘for viols or violins’ acknowledges that the viol was soon to be usurped by the violin; here, Fretwork embody this historical juncture through a flexibility and agility of stroke.

-- Gramophone

Tracklist 40 tracks

  1. 1 I. Pavan 03:07
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  2. 2 II. Ayre 01:18
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:18
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  3. 3 III. Courante 01:10
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  4. 4 IV. Saraband 01:00
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  5. 5 I. Pavan 03:04
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  6. 6 II. Ayre 01:03
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:03
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  7. 7 III. Courante 01:22
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:22
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  8. 8 IV. Saraband 00:37
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:37
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  9. 9 I. Pavan 03:18
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:18
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  10. 10 II. Ayre 01:13
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:13
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  11. 11 III. Courante 01:13
    Track
    11
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:13
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  12. 12 IV. Saraband 00:58
    Track
    12
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:58
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  13. 13 I. Pavan 03:39
    Track
    13
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  14. 14 II. Ayre 00:57
    Track
    14
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  15. 15 III. Courante 01:19
    Track
    15
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  16. 16 IV. Saraband 00:49
    Track
    16
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  17. 17 I. Pavan 03:12
    Track
    17
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:12
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  18. 18 II. Ayre 01:10
    Track
    18
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  19. 19 III. Courante 00:51
    Track
    19
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    00:51
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  20. 20 IV. Saraband 00:45
    Track
    20
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:45
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  21. 21 I. Pavan 03:54
    Track
    21
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:54
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  22. 22 II. Ayre 01:04
    Track
    22
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:04
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  23. 23 III. Courante 01:12
    Track
    23
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  24. 24 IV. Saraband 00:52
    Track
    24
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:52
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  25. 25 I. Pavan 03:52
    Track
    25
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:52
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  26. 26 II. Ayre 01:24
    Track
    26
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  27. 27 III. Courante 01:02
    Track
    27
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  28. 28 IV. Saraband 00:47
    Track
    28
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  29. 29 I. Pavan 03:53
    Track
    29
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:53
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  30. 30 II. Ayre 01:39
    Track
    30
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  31. 31 III. Courante 01:12
    Track
    31
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  32. 32 IV. Saraband 00:39
    Track
    32
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:39
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  33. 33 I. Pavan 03:56
    Track
    33
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:56
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  34. 34 II. Ayre 01:10
    Track
    34
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  35. 35 III. Courante 01:19
    Track
    35
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  36. 36 IV. Saraband 00:34
    Track
    36
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:34
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  37. 37 I. Pavan 03:59
    Track
    37
    Title
    I. Pavan
    Duration
    03:59
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  38. 38 II. Ayre 01:16
    Track
    38
    Title
    II. Ayre
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  39. 39 III. Courante 01:08
    Track
    39
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:08
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork
  40. 40 IV. Saraband 00:35
    Track
    40
    Title
    IV. Saraband
    Duration
    00:35
    Composer
    Matthew Locke
    Performer
    Sergio Bucheli, Silas Wollston
    Ensemble
    Fretwork