Dowland: Sorrow, stay

Anthony Rooley writes: ‘In the mid-1970s this humble lute-player had theatrical pretensions! I realized quite early on in my performing career that audiences generally needed more help to “get inside” the beautiful obscure music I was discovering, and if their appetite was to be fostered, a new dimension in the manner of presentation had to be found.

‘Quite unexpectedly, I discovered it in some of the most obscure music I had hitherto worked with – duets and dialogues from the mouths of nymphs and shepherds, created for a court circle of nobility who thoroughly enjoyed adopting the manners and playfulness of what was regarded as suitable for “pastoral customs” from the ancient world of Arcadia.

‘To revive this art-form meant urging my singers to adopt appropriate characters – lamenting nymphs, raunchy shepherds, hard-done by Goddesses or erotic Gods – and done with a degree of theatricality not yet seen in the “early music revival” of the 1970s. Performances were noted for their strait-laced manner – but now we had to step out and “be” someone, be playful and passionate. Early music was never quite the same after that!’

This collection gathers together some of the most delectable of 17th century duets both from England as well as from Italy. Any Emma Kirkby recording is an event, and this reissue, making its first appearance on CD, will be no exception. Also issued on CD for the first time is Amorous Dialogues, the companion recording to Pastoral Dialogues. The extensive booklet includes the original notes, a new introduction by Anthony Rooley and full texts and translations.

Alpha is particularly pleased to present this first disc devoted to the lutenist Thomas Dunford.

The programme combines lute pieces by Dowland with lute songs for several voices. These songs are certainly among the most frequently recorded works of the Elizabethan era. However, the four-part polyphonic texture is generally reduced to a single voice with lute accompaniment.

The approach adopted on this disc has been to realise the songs in several voices, thus reverting to the practice, widespread at the time, of an intimate ‘chamber’ performance of these pieces.

Thus the inspired playing of Thomas Dunford is answered by exceptionally rich polyphony, with the combination of the two offering a Dowland of unprecedented colour and energy.

Peter Pears’ voice was undoubtedly one of the finest and most distinctive of the twentieth century and here he collaborates with Julian Bream and Benjamin Britten in performances of English song. Repertoire includes works by Ford, Morley, Rosseter, Dowland, Pilkington, Campion, Bridge, Butterworth, Ireland, Moeran, Warlock, Holst, Berkeley, Oldham and Britten.

Damien Guillon has chosen for his first solo recital disc a refined, subtle and melancholy repertoire, which he has gone on to explore in depth and polish in genuine chamber style with the lutenist Eric Bellocq, an expert in Renaissance music.

Eric Bellocq plays a liuto forte from André Burguete’s conception, an instrument which enables the player to develop a larger sound possibilities creating a true dialogue with the singer and a great freedom in improvisation. Damien Guillon started at an early age as a member of child’s choir Brittany, then at the Versailles Baroque Center while studying organ and harpsichord. In 2004, he was admitted to the countertenor Andreas Scholl’s class at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis… He was soon spotted by such well-known conductors as Jordi Savall, Vincent Dumestre, Hervé Niquet, Jérôme Correas, Philippe Pierlot, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Christophe Rousset, William Christie, and Philippe Herreweghe. He has founded his own ensemble, Le Banquet Céleste, with which he has performed at Les Nuits Musicales d’Uzès and the Froville Festival. Their repertoire includes Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, and the cantatas for alto and obbligato organ of J. S. Bach, which will be Damien Guillon’s next recording project on Zig-Zag Territoires.

Guild is pleased to present music by John Dowland combined with world premiere recordings of 5 new lute songs by Peter Croton, lute teacher at the renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. An additional feature of this recording is the inclusion of new lute solos arranged by Croton based on Dowland songs. In CONCERTO Magazine: “The manner in which the Bothe/Croton duo, with intelligent emotionality and natural passion, was able to uncover new aspects of lute songs by Dowland totally enchanted the audience, which exploded in thunderous applause”. In the GERMAN LUTE SOCIETY newsletter: “The few attempts to extend the lute repertory into the 20th and 21st centuries have not attracted the attention of the listening public. All the more welcome, therefore, is the opportunity to report here songs which in my opinion have the potential to become a permanent part of the lute song repertory… the audience is treated to music both challenging and refined. Bothe’s voice is a feast for the ears, Croton’s playing is lively and impeccable”. Special guest Derek Lee Ragin is regarded as one of the foremost vocal artists of our day and is also known to a wide international audience from the soundtrack to the film "Farinelli”.