Dowland: Come heavy sleep

“In the final analysis, though in many ways infuriating, this is a brilliant and inspiring Dowland recital that cannot easily be ignored.” International Record Review

“La Nef has pared down Dowland's complex accompaniments, aiming for a Celtic, folky feel. Dowland-lite it may be, but the recital is beautifully performed.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 ****

“There is surely no voice more ethereal-sounding among contemporary falsettists than Scholl’s, and he lavishes a ravishingly beautiful sound on the Dowland “hits”: Go, crystal tears; Now, oh now, I needs must part; From silent night; Come, heavy sleep. The danger of monotony is averted with the interspersing of viol Fantasias by John Ward and Richard Mico, and of Dowland’s lute solos, Semper Dowland, Semper Dolens, The Lady Rich, Her Galliard and A Fancy, exquisitely played by Julian Behr. For fans of both Dowland and Scholl, this is a collector’s item.” Sunday Times, 29th June 2008 Disc of the Week

“Since this is a collection dominated by John Dowland's consort songs, sobs and melancholy lie at its heart. But with Scholl's alto brand of counter-tenor floating the lines, polishing the vowels so beautifully, the sorrow never quite feels real. Occasionally he's too loud and hooty, and more than once monotonous. But Venus Birds is irresistible, he dies very nicely in Oh Death, Rock Me to Sleep, and he is always surrounded by succulent sounds from the lutenist Julian Behr. Even with the whistling and instrumental tracks, the variety of mood and texture remains limited - but who goes to Dowland to frolic?” The Times, 7th June 2008 ***

“The exquisite melancholy pervading the disc, and its companion DVD, is the perfect balm to beguile you through a wistful summer evening” The Observer, 25th May 2008

“There is some magical singing here, and Scholl is supported by instrumental playing of rare subtlety and real finesse.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2008 ****

“Scholl's technique is unimpeachable, his tone polished beyond doubt…” Gramophone Magazine, September 2008

“Inevitably, Andreas Scholl gets the headline treatment, though the man himself seems very much a team player. And though there are a few quibbles with his approach to this repertory, his interaction with Concerto di Viole and lutenist Julian Behr carries great conviction. The choice of Dowland songs holds few surprises. Although Scholl's technique is unimpeachable, his tone polished beyond doubt, there's a surprising diffidence.
Dowland's melancholy may have been a genuine personality trait but the Elizabethan penchant for this most intractable of humours was also (as Scholl acknowledges) a wider social phenomenon, a fashionable affectation; and from an artist of Scholl's accomplishment, a tauter balance between demure reserve and theatricality would have been welcome. Otherwise, one runs the risk of a one–dimensional Dowland, and Scholl doesn't entirely avoids it here.
That said, the first track, 'Go crystal tears', makes for a fine opening, and in 'Go nightly cares' the dialogue between voice and viols is very impressive. The whistling in the refrain of John Bennett's 'Venus' birds' seems the wrong sort of affectation, and the portamenti in the refrain of Byrd's 'Though Amaryllis dance in green' are likewise overdone.
The gems here are the pieces by lesser–known composers, in which Scholl's reserve is perhaps less of an issue: Robert Johnson's 'Have you seen the bright lily grow?' is particularly moving, and movingly conveyed, with something of the languor of the air de cour. Concerto di Viole's contributions are stylish, and Behr is both a sensitive accompanist and a distinguished soloist (in 'Semper Dowland semper dolens'). On a bonus DVD there's a short documentary that faithfully captures the atmosphere of a recording session, in which Scholl comes across as a down-to-earth, reflective and genuinely charming person.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Padmore provides context by singing Dowland's original song before Craig Ogden steals in, alert to the Nocturnal's every nuance, and with a palette of colours both caressing and disquieting. Completing the frame, 'Flow my Tears' is beautifully inflected, though finer still is 'In Darkness let me Dwell' where in the final bars Padmore's enrapt engagement seems to conjure up the very chill of death.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2008 ****

“Mark Padmore again shows why he is one of today's finest tenors. The quicker songs, like "Away with these self-loving lads", gain in clarity from a semi-declamatory approach, while the slower are eerily viol-like.” Gramophone Magazine, Janurary 2008

“A simply brilliant disc. I can’t praise it enough. A bronze Liz Kenny should be on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square, in my opinion” Early Music Today

“Since Emma Kirkby’s first recording in the late-1970s, we have known what to expect from Dowland’s lute songs. Some fine discs have followed, but not until Mark Padmore and Elizabeth Kenny’s new release has there been one as radical in its potential impact on our understanding of the music. With tonal purity intact, voice and lute add subtle decoration, rhythmic fluidity, drama and rich poetic sensibility to these songs” The Independent on Sunday

“... extraordinary diction and whispering chamber-like intimacy … [Mark Padmore] joy in conveying the emotional core of each situation” Gramophone Magazine

“Supported with exceptional clarity by Jakob Lindberg, Kirkby conveys both intellectual appreciation and a deep emotional connection with the words in this recital...[her] 'Bess of Bedlam' is more sympathetic than most, and her 'Music for a While' is more enigmatic. The voice may be less beautiful than it was, but her singing is more beautiful than ever.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2011 ****

“Few singers are quite a compelling with only a lute for company: Kirkby's phrasing has impeccable light and shade, and her authoritative articulation of melancholic sentiments is simply first-class...her gripping interpretation [of In darkness let me dwell] is devoid of complacence; moreover, her intonation and technique in florid music has lost none of its sparkle and precision.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011

“Kirkby embellishes with taste and discretion...Both [she] and Lindberg are especially good here in the last Dowland item, 'In darkness let me dwell'...the tempo well judged, the lute part a translucent garment draped over Kirkby's highly expressive delivery.” International Record Review, May 2011

“Croton is a fine lutenist, with an acute ear for colour, and he possesses a strong technique...What gives this project even greater resonance is the chosen singer, Theresia Bothe. Her voice...embodies elements of classical purity in places but also has a decided folk influence...So this is a somewhat out of the way disc, pursuing a very individual slant on Dowland” MusicWeb International, 30th July 2010

“Theresia Bothe’s voice is very individual. Her expressiveness comes from the emphasis and colouring of certain words and the breaking of phrases, rather than ornamenting or varying the music...Hearing all this new material created by Croton is like discovering new works by Dowland, such is his sense of style and his ability to emulate Dowland’s melodic gift.” Lute News, April 2010