Ortiz, D: Recercada segunda

The title ‘Jazz and Pavane’ reveals the happy marriage between these two ebullient styles of music and on this recording, the musicians have chosen to highlight the two musical styles by featuring complementary couples: the two pairs of early instruments (cornetto, sackbut), and modern (trumpet, trombone). The early music is supported by organ/harpsichord,and the modern by percussion, bass and drums.

‘Navidad’ is a celebration of the lively and compelling repertoire of Christmas music, songs and dances from 16th and 17th century Latin America and Spain, performed by leading Canadian early music ensemble The Toronto Consort.

‘Navidad’ features Christmas dances and a style of songs known as villancico, a distinctively Spanish form which has enjoyed a long history of popularity across Spain and Latin America almost continuously from the late 15th century to the present. Some of the songs written in Latin America were performed in the Iberian peninsula within a few years of their premieres in Mexico, showing how quickly music could travel both directions across the Atlantic. Indeed, as this recording demonstrates, in the 17th century the musical world in Latin America could boast a depth of feeling and vitality of execution to rival anything from Europe.

Since its founding in 1972, The Toronto Consort has become internationally recognised for its excellence in the performance of Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque music. The Consort’s goal is to explore new repertoire and new ways to bring early music to the modern audience. It regularly tours across Canada, the United States and Europe.

A glorious baroque collection, full of famous melodies in their original form with virtuoso variations. The famous composition of John Dowland Flow my Tears forms the main theme from this recording. Also featured are composers such as Gibbons, Ortiz and Falconieri, making a delightfully varied and coherent programme.

Following his highly successful ECM debut with Nuove Musiche in 2006, the new CD by Norwegian lutenist Rolf Lislevand and his group of international early music virtuosi is an album of melodic beauty and rhythmic energy that transcends the genres and is likely to appeal to listeners from different backgrounds including early music, jazz and ethnic music.

Lislevand is one of the most charismatic figures in today's early music scene and an outstanding lute virtuoso whose vigorous music making is firmly rooted in scholarship. Here are stunning improvisations based on vocal compositions from 16th century Italy: the birth of instrumental virtuosity out of embellished song. His creative and delightful approach to rarely heard repertoire is comparable to Christina Pluhar's work with L’Arpeggiata but is even more original in its concentration on lesser known composers.

Once again putting a strong emphasis on improvisation, Lislevand and his colleagues disclose the astounding modernity and emotional wealth in the music of composers such as Giovanni Antonio Terzi and Joan Ambrosio Dalza. Most of the music stems from the Veneto region of Italy where, at that period, strong influences of oriental and eastern music could be felt. Lislevand's group translates this with a lush scoring for deep instruments, both stringed and plucked, and adds to the line-up two sopranos, Anna Maria Friman and Linn Andrea Fuglesth, from the immensely popular a-cappella group Trio Mediaeval.