BIS
Musique and Sweet Poetrie / Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
$21.99
Details
- Composer
- BALLARD, ROBERT BOESSET, JEAN
- Artist
- Jakob, Lindberg
- Format
- SACD
- Label
- BIS
- Released
- Dec 01, 2006
- Catalog #
- BIS-SACD-1505
- UPC
- 7318599915050
About
A thoroughly enjoyable conspectus of lute songs and lute solos from Renaissance Europe, mixing familiar and unfamiliar and played by two modern masters of these forms. There’s music here from England, Italy, Germany, France and Poland. Of course the composers concerned were, in many respects, more ‘international’ than ‘national’. Their persons – and their music – crossed many boundaries and many musical exchanges were effected in this period.
Dowland, for example, spent some four years in Paris as a young man, visited and performed (and listened to others perform) at such important musical courts as those of Heinrich Julius, Duke of Brunswick, at Wolfenbüttel, and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, at Kassel. He travelled in Italy, with spells in Venice (where he met Giovanni Croce), Padua, Genoa, Ferrara, and Florence. From 1598 to 1606 he was lutenist at the court of Christian IV of Denmark. Or, to take two more examples, Giovanni Kapsberger was born Johann(es) Hieronymus Kapsberger, supposedly born in Venice, son of a German gentleman; the Polish lutenist and composer, Wojchiech (Albertus) D?ugoraj had his music published in France by Jean-Baptiste Brossard and lived most of his mature life outside his native Poland. So, though it makes some sense to talk of national styles in this period, it also makes sense to create an anthology such as this which stresses the internationalism of the prevailing musical idioms.
On this CD, Lindberg plays a restored lute of c.1590, identified as the work of Sixtus Rauwolf, a lute-maker of Augsburg, claimed, quite plausibly, to be the oldest surviving lute in playable condition, still retaining its original soundboard. The instrument’s lovely sound is quite beautifully captured in this recording, both in solo pieces – not least the quite ravishing Fantasia by Gregory Huwet (who was born in Antwerp, worked at Wolfenbüttel and was held in high regard by Dowland) – and as accompaniment to the voice of Emma Kirkby.
Most readers of MusicWeb have presumably long since made up their mind about Kirkby. If, like me, you find her voice, and the intelligence with which she uses it, one of the great joys to be had in hearing this repertoire, then this, you will want to know, is another excellent CD, on which the voice seems yet to have lost very little and the intelligence (or musical experience) is even greater than on her youthful recordings. If you never fell under Kirkby’s musical spell than this is not, I imagine, a recital likely to effect any kind of sudden conversion.
The subtlety of interpretation on offer here is remarkable, but entirely unostentatious. Listen, for example, to Kirkby’s phrasing in Heinrich Schütz’s ‘Eile mich, Gott, zu erreten’ – few singers, in whatever style, can so wonderfully give equal weight to the demands of text and music; or listen to the marvellous interplay between singer and accompanist in Sigismondo d’India’s beautiful ‘Quella vermiglia rosa’; or to Lindberg’s exquisite presentation of three short pieces for lute by Michelangelo Galilei (another ‘international’ figure, born in Italy, who worked in Poland and Bavaria). These are jewels indeed.
The recorded sound is perfect; intimate but not over-close. Full texts and translations are provided.
-- Glyn Pursglove, MusicWeb International
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
Dowland, for example, spent some four years in Paris as a young man, visited and performed (and listened to others perform) at such important musical courts as those of Heinrich Julius, Duke of Brunswick, at Wolfenbüttel, and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, at Kassel. He travelled in Italy, with spells in Venice (where he met Giovanni Croce), Padua, Genoa, Ferrara, and Florence. From 1598 to 1606 he was lutenist at the court of Christian IV of Denmark. Or, to take two more examples, Giovanni Kapsberger was born Johann(es) Hieronymus Kapsberger, supposedly born in Venice, son of a German gentleman; the Polish lutenist and composer, Wojchiech (Albertus) D?ugoraj had his music published in France by Jean-Baptiste Brossard and lived most of his mature life outside his native Poland. So, though it makes some sense to talk of national styles in this period, it also makes sense to create an anthology such as this which stresses the internationalism of the prevailing musical idioms.
On this CD, Lindberg plays a restored lute of c.1590, identified as the work of Sixtus Rauwolf, a lute-maker of Augsburg, claimed, quite plausibly, to be the oldest surviving lute in playable condition, still retaining its original soundboard. The instrument’s lovely sound is quite beautifully captured in this recording, both in solo pieces – not least the quite ravishing Fantasia by Gregory Huwet (who was born in Antwerp, worked at Wolfenbüttel and was held in high regard by Dowland) – and as accompaniment to the voice of Emma Kirkby.
Most readers of MusicWeb have presumably long since made up their mind about Kirkby. If, like me, you find her voice, and the intelligence with which she uses it, one of the great joys to be had in hearing this repertoire, then this, you will want to know, is another excellent CD, on which the voice seems yet to have lost very little and the intelligence (or musical experience) is even greater than on her youthful recordings. If you never fell under Kirkby’s musical spell than this is not, I imagine, a recital likely to effect any kind of sudden conversion.
The subtlety of interpretation on offer here is remarkable, but entirely unostentatious. Listen, for example, to Kirkby’s phrasing in Heinrich Schütz’s ‘Eile mich, Gott, zu erreten’ – few singers, in whatever style, can so wonderfully give equal weight to the demands of text and music; or listen to the marvellous interplay between singer and accompanist in Sigismondo d’India’s beautiful ‘Quella vermiglia rosa’; or to Lindberg’s exquisite presentation of three short pieces for lute by Michelangelo Galilei (another ‘international’ figure, born in Italy, who worked in Poland and Bavaria). These are jewels indeed.
The recorded sound is perfect; intimate but not over-close. Full texts and translations are provided.
-- Glyn Pursglove, MusicWeb International
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
Tracklist 26 tracks
-
1 Almain 01:18
- Track
- 1
- Title
- Almain
- Duration
- 01:18
- Composer
- Robert Johnson
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
2 Full fathom five thy father lies 01:49
- Track
- 2
- Title
- Full fathom five thy father lies
- Duration
- 01:49
- Composer
- Robert Johnson
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
3 Thirsis and Milla 03:02
- Track
- 3
- Title
- Thirsis and Milla
- Duration
- 03:02
- Composer
- Thomas Morley
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
4 Come sorrow, come 07:03
- Track
- 4
- Title
- Come sorrow, come
- Duration
- 07:03
- Composer
- Thomas Morley
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
5 Fantasia 04:19
- Track
- 5
- Title
- Fantasia
- Duration
- 04:19
- Composer
- Gregorio Huet
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
6 Shall I sue, shall I seek for grace? 02:46
- Track
- 6
- Title
- Shall I sue, shall I seek for grace?
- Duration
- 02:46
- Composer
- John Dowland
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
7 Go crystal tears 03:01
- Track
- 7
- Title
- Go crystal tears
- Duration
- 03:01
- Composer
- John Dowland
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
8 Toccata 03:09
- Track
- 8
- Title
- Toccata
- Duration
- 03:09
- Composer
- Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
9 Dolce tempo passato 05:02
- Track
- 9
- Title
- Dolce tempo passato
- Duration
- 05:02
- Composer
- Georg Schimmelpfennig
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
10 Eile mich, Gott, zu erretten 03:04
- Track
- 10
- Title
- Eile mich, Gott, zu erretten
- Duration
- 03:04
- Composer
- Heinrich Schütz
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
11 Toccata 01:46
- Track
- 11
- Title
- Toccata
- Duration
- 01:46
- Composer
- Michelangelo Galilei
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
12 Corrente 01:19
- Track
- 12
- Title
- Corrente
- Duration
- 01:19
- Composer
- Michelangelo Galilei
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
13 Volta 01:19
- Track
- 13
- Title
- Volta
- Duration
- 01:19
- Composer
- Michelangelo Galilei
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
14 Quella vermiglia rosa 02:04
- Track
- 14
- Title
- Quella vermiglia rosa
- Duration
- 02:04
- Composer
- Sigismondo D'India
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
15 Da l'onde del mio pianto 03:20
- Track
- 15
- Title
- Da l'onde del mio pianto
- Duration
- 03:20
- Composer
- Sigismondo D'India
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
16 Entree de luth 02:05
- Track
- 16
- Title
- Entree de luth
- Duration
- 02:05
- Composer
- Robert Ballard
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
17 Cessez, mortels, de soupirer 07:49
- Track
- 17
- Title
- Cessez, mortels, de soupirer
- Duration
- 07:49
- Composer
- Pierre Guédron
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
18 Que Philis a l'esprit leger 01:37
- Track
- 18
- Title
- Que Philis a l'esprit leger
- Duration
- 01:37
- Composer
- Jean-Baptiste Boësset
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
19 Paisible et tenebreuse nuit 02:52
- Track
- 19
- Title
- Paisible et tenebreuse nuit
- Duration
- 02:52
- Composer
- Étienne Moulinié
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
20 Branles de village 03:09
- Track
- 20
- Title
- Branles de village
- Duration
- 03:09
- Composer
- Robert Ballard
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
21 Fantasia 01:57
- Track
- 21
- Title
- Fantasia
- Duration
- 01:57
- Composer
- Wojciech Długoraj
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg
-
22 Shall I strive with words to move 03:02
- Track
- 22
- Title
- Shall I strive with words to move
- Duration
- 03:02
- Composer
- John Dowland
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
23 He whose desires are still abroad 02:21
- Track
- 23
- Title
- He whose desires are still abroad
- Duration
- 02:21
- Composer
- John Danyel
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
24 Dost thou withdraw thy grace? 01:33
- Track
- 24
- Title
- Dost thou withdraw thy grace?
- Duration
- 01:33
- Composer
- John Danyel
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
25 Why canst thou not? 01:40
- Track
- 25
- Title
- Why canst thou not?
- Duration
- 01:40
- Composer
- John Danyel
- Performer
- Emma Kirkby, Jakob Lindberg
-
26 Pavan 05:13
- Track
- 26
- Title
- Pavan
- Duration
- 05:13
- Composer
- Robert Johnson
- Performer
- Jakob Lindberg