Love can transpose things bass and viol to form and dignity.

[Mandryka]

This is Savall's first viol recording I think. The approach is lyrical and sensual, without ever being lush. Pulse is clear without turning the music into metronomic dances. The sound is fine. The ensemble is a bit dominated by treble viol. Organ is sometimes in the mix.

Savall only plays the 1601 fantasias, but changes the order. I'm not sure that was such a good idea, but obviously, it's easily remedied.

[Que]

Cross posting from the WAYLT thread:

CHRISTOPHER TYE (c.1505–1573).
Complete Consort Music.
Phantasm.
Recorded at Boxgrove Priory, Sussex, UK 2016.

A well balanced performance, with beautiful but serious music. The metrical and harmonic experiments that Tye lets us hear in his mystically-inflected instrumental works were exceedingly bold for his time, and to my ears still are. A playful, and nuanced performance, placing another piece of the puzzle in the rich world of English musical history. SOTA sound.

Taking this opportunity to add some additional thoughts..
The music is in the the notes aptly described as idiosyncratic and complex. IMO it is also very advanced for its age. The performance by Phantasm is really excellent. My usual issue with them is that they can be rather straight, matter-of-fact. But not here: I agree with Harry that they offer here a nuanced, in-depth performance. My only quible is that, considering the daring nature of this particular music, that they could have been a just bit more daring themselves - a bit bold, a bit more free.

Another afterthought: this consort music is also performed by a recorder consort and if you're into recorder music, the result in the recording below is mandatory listening:

[Mandryka]

Very good booklet essay with that Phantasm CD

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/33/000142733.pdf

And Savall's recording had a wonderful essay by Michel Bernstein celebrating the music. The two approaches - Phanatsm and Savall - are quite different. Two extremes I'd say. I'm very keen on the Dutch ensemble Spirit of Gambo - not least because I like their sound.

[AnotherSpin]

Very good booklet essay with that Phantasm CD

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/33/000142733.pdf

And Savall's recording had a wonderful essay by Michel Bernstein celebrating the music. The two approaches - Phanatsm and Savall - are quite different. Two extremes I'd say. I'm very keen on the Dutch ensemble Spirit of Gambo - not least because I like their sound.

Tye's the in nomine king, I'm not sure if they form a sequence like the Morley or Purcell fantasias.

It's fair to say that my experience of listening to consort music is minimal. If possible, can you recommend 5-6 recordings that you think are the most important in this category?

[Mandryka]

recordings that you think are the most important in this category?

The pioneering recordings which Savall/Kuijken/Coin/Koopman etc released are probably the most important. 

[Mandryka]

I feel very positive about Savall's Jenkins. He's really dug deep into the possibilities the music presents for expression and nuance -- poetic, meaningful, serious, reflective performances. Top tier, and one of Savall's best I think.

It's mostly given over to fantasies, I don't know whether we have a holistic sequence, whether Jenkins was systematically exploring ideas like, I'd say, Purcell was. The interpretation seems to send the music back to the renaissance rather than forward to the baroque -- that's maybe one of the reasons I like it so much.

[Mandryka]

This contains the same music as the above Savall disc. It's quite instructive to compare the two on a fantasy by fantasy basis. The thing that Savall has which Laurence Dreyfus's Phantasm lacks is mystery, amd  indeed melancholy. There are also things which Phantasm has which you don't find in Savall -- energy, transparency, a sharp foot tapping pulse which Savall would never allow, and occasionally the ability to find seductive arias in the music. But it is somehow brightly lit -- like, you can see everything right in front of you face. While Savall is full of musical shadows, which to my mind make it much more satisfying, but that's just what I'm looking for in music I guess.   

Anyway, that's how I feel this evening.  One thing I'm clear about is that these six part fantasies are worth exploring. 

[Mandryka]

This CD contains Gibbons's sets of fantasies for two viols and six viols, both are cycles of six fugues. At least in the case of the A2 pieces, it is the only recorded performance - Phantasm recorded all the A6 consorts.

The score of the 6 part music contains no barlines and was written alla breve with long note values. Concordia and Phantasm have used a performing edition which favours energy over stillness. They both also play with a clear pulse, internal metronomes are audible!

I think that the A2 set at least is cyclical, a holistic exploration of counterpoint in the manner of Bach's AoF.

Concordia do not preserve the order of these contrapuntal cycles, and they intersperse the fugues with popular dance pieces and airs. That's a shame IMO, but can easily be remedied. Phantasm keep the A6 fantasies together, altering Gibbons's order - for some mysterious reason.

[Que]

Crossposting from the WAYLT thread on fhese two viol recordings by Fretwork:

 

The 1st recording covers a collection published under the name The Little Consort in 1656. it consists of 10 suites for three viols with possible addition of theorbo and harpsichord continuo. Fretwork added a theorbo.
https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/locke-the-little-consort

The Flat(t) Consort is a collection published in 1661 and consisting of 5 suites for viol trio with continuo. On the recording by Fretwork 2 duos for bass viols are added.
https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/chamber/locke-the-flat-consort

Locke reportedly required these works to be performed "plain", without embellishments. Fretwork obliges with sober and straight interpretations. More serious than playful, I'd say. The effect is enhanced by slightly "dry" recorded sound. To me both recordings seem mandatory for viol lovers.

[Que]

They recorded the 6 four part fantasy suites "Consorts of fower parts" - which I don't think is in either of those, I could be wrong. Savall played them too, rather differently and not very naturally recorded IMO.  Phantasm also. Worth hearing the music.

You're right. The Consorts of Fower (four) Parts is a different collection of 6 suites, published in 1662.
Fretwork recorded them on Virgin, also included in the boxset. I'm not a fan of Savall, but I'll definitely give the Phantasm recording (Linn) a listen.

 

[San Antone]

I'm not a fan of Savall

Why?

[Que]

Why?

In English viol music I don't think he is the most idiomatic.

[San Antone]

In English viol music I don't think he is the most idiomatic.

Oh, I thought you meant in general, not knowing that you were only speaking of English viol repertory.  But I guess given the context of that series of posts, I should have. 

[Mandryka]

Phillip Serna is one of the members of the consort Spirit of Gambo. This CD of Gibbons fantasies  is just him I think, overdubbed. Rather nice actually - in music which, for me, doesn't always work. The sound quality is fine, in fact the voices are very well balanced. I don't think there's any way to tell that it's overdubbed from listening only. One of the best things to come out of the 2020 lockdowns - better sound than Durnford's lockdown releases   Worth a try!

https://www.discogs.com/artist/7598015-Phillip-W-Serna

https://www.phillipwserna.com/

[Mandryka]

Demachy wrote some of the most contrapuntally interesting and imaginative music for solo viol I know. His music is not specially melodic, He stands in contrast to his peers - Marais etc. Demachy's style didn't take off in France.

I'd say that anyone who appreciates Bach's cello suites should try Demachy's solo viol music.

Savall excellent as always, IMO.

Doctoral thesis on Demachy (which I haven't read yet) here

https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/le-sieur-de-machy-and-the-french-solo-viol-tradition

[prémont]

Demachy wrote some of the most contrapuntally interesting and imaginative music for solo viol I know. His music is not specially melodic, He stands in contrast to his peers - Marais etc. Demachy's style didn't take off in France.

I'd say that anyone who appreciates Bach's cello suites should try Demachy's solo viol music.

Savall excellent as always, IMO.

Thanks, noted with interest.

[Mandryka]

Thanks, noted with interest.

This also rather good IMO

[Mandryka]

Nicolas Hotman was Demachy's teacher. He's reputed to be the founder member of the French school of (solo) viol music - that's quite a school! What comes across on this CD for me is not only how agreeable his music is, but also how excellent a viol player Sophie Watillon was, lyrical music making.

[Mandryka]

Listening to Julien Leonard's sensual recording of Forqueray it suddenly became clear to me what's meant by the "Forqueray is a devil" trope. It means that the music hedonistic. The devil is seduces by offering voluptuous gratification. This recording really gets that!