The Early Music Club (EMC)

Started by zamyrabyrd, October 06, 2007, 10:31:49 PM

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canninator

#181
Quote from: Que on February 21, 2009, 11:36:04 PM
Would you care to make a comment on it? :)

Q

For what it's worth, Rooley is an excellent player but I would place him at the bottom of the pile of the crop of Dowland lute solo cycles. In my opinion the Jacob Lindberg (now available on Brilliant) is superlative and the Nigel North (Naxos) and Paul O'Dette (Harmonia Mundi) are also worth a crack.

The Lindberg in particular has a smoother rounder tone and the bass courses are used to much greater effect. Musically, Linderberg makes much greater use of dynamic contrast between contrapuntal and florid passages to scintillating effect. This effect is weaker in the Rooley and he also has the somewhat annoying (at least for me) habit of spreading his arpeggios really wide so the pulse of the music sounds wayward even if it is not played thus.

That leaves the problem of what to choose for lute and voice. The recent collaboration between Elizabeth Kenny (please, Elizabeth, can we have a Dowland lute cycle from you) and Mark Padmore (Tenor) on Hyperion is, to my ears, the best collection of lute songs. It's only one disc so the collection is small but all his number one hits are there plus an excellent recording of Britten's Nocturnal after Dowland played by Craig Ogden.

So go with Jacob Lindberg on Brilliant and Kenny/Padmore/Ogden on Hyperion for some songs and you can't go wrong.

Dr. Dread

Quote from: canninator on February 23, 2009, 12:50:12 AM
In my opinion the Jacob Lindberg (now available on Brilliant) is superlative...

Thanks. Just ordered it.

Coopmv

Quote from: canninator on February 23, 2009, 12:50:12 AM
For what it's worth, Rooley is an excellent player but I would place him at the bottom of the pile of the crop of Dowland lute solo cycles.

I have to check to see if I have any recordings by Elizabeth Kenny.  But the most beautiful parts of this set are the solo pieces by Emma Kirkby and I am not convinced Kenny can top her ...

canninator

Quote from: Coopmv on February 23, 2009, 04:49:04 PM
I have to check to see if I have any recordings by Elizabeth Kenny.  But the most beautiful parts of this set are the solo pieces by Emma Kirkby and I am not convinced Kenny can top her ...

I have no problem with Emma Kirby's singing although I much prefer my Dowland with tenor or countertenor. Elizabeth Kenny is Professor of Lute at the Royal Academy not a singer.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Mn Dave on February 27, 2009, 11:24:28 AM

Yes, my tastes seem to be travelling backward through time.  8)  Chopin and earlier: that's pretty much me, lately.

Dave - LOL!  ;D  The Middle Ages/Renaissance have fascinated me for years, including the music - bought the book below a few years ago (got a used copy - Norton is the publisher and they always want so much $$!) - if interested, try a library borrow - an excellent book on the topic -  :D  Dave


Dr. Dread

Quote from: SonicMan on February 27, 2009, 01:32:03 PM
Dave - LOL!  ;D  The Middle Ages/Renaissance have fascinated me for years, including the music - bought the book below a few years ago (got a used copy - Norton is the publisher and they always want so much $$!) - if interested, try a library borrow - an excellent book on the topic -  :D  Dave



I'll look for it. Thanks much.

Coopmv

Quote from: canninator on February 23, 2009, 11:59:12 PM
I have no problem with Emma Kirby's singing although I much prefer my Dowland with tenor or countertenor. Elizabeth Kenny is Professor of Lute at the Royal Academy not a singer.

Sorry, I must have confused her with Catherine Denley ...   ;D

Dr. Dread


Coopmv

Quote from: Mn Dave on February 28, 2009, 11:28:06 AM
Ha! Wrong image.  ;D



I thought it was some Renaissance work in praise of Lucifer.  But then, it would have been awfully surprising that the composer had not been burned at the stake before he would have had to chance to publish his work ...   ;D

canninator

Quote from: SonicMan on February 27, 2009, 01:32:03 PM
Dave - LOL!  ;D  The Middle Ages/Renaissance have fascinated me for years, including the music - bought the book below a few years ago (got a used copy - Norton is the publisher and they always want so much $$!) - if interested, try a library borrow - an excellent book on the topic -  :D  Dave



Yes, this is an excellent book. If you can, get the anthology to go alongside with plenty of excellent musical examples.



Also worth a look is the Howard Brown, not as heavy going



If you are looking for something to function as both the ultimate guide to renaissance music and a doorstop then you can't do better than Gustave Reese



If your particular forte is instrumental music of the period then don't expect too much from any of these books, you then need to go to specialist texts.

Dr. Dread

The Howard Brown sounds my speed.

Coopmv

Quote from: Que on March 08, 2009, 05:08:59 AM
Since this is not the Listening thread, an additional comment would be welcome. :)

Q

It is serene and inspirational with excellent polyphony.  It is the second CD by the group The Cardinall's Musick I have had the chance to listen to.  The singing is great ...

premont

Quote from: Que on March 31, 2009, 06:47:36 AM
What's on it? Medieval stuff? :)

Q

This New York based group has made two CDs for  Lyrichord, both containing medieval dance music. Together they cover almost all the surviving music (which is very little) in this category. The first contains the instrumental pieces from the so called Royal Manuscript (French, early 1300, the pieces probably a bit older), consisting of the eight monodic Estampies Royales and a few similar two-part pieces. They sound somewhat archaic. The other CD contains the Istampittas from an Italian manuscript, which is a little younger than the French, and accordingly the pieces sound a little more modern, some of them obviously influenced by Arabic music. Many of the pieces are well known, even by people who are not aware of that. The CDs in question are interesting for historical reasons, but I have heard much more engaging interpretations e.g. by the English Guillaume Dufay ensemble (first CD on Avie, second CD on Chandos).
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

SonicMan46

Quote from: Bogey on March 31, 2009, 06:45:45 AM
A gift from my wife:

   


Bill & Que - I have that disc above (left) and also a companion CD (inserted, right) - Premont has already given some discussion in his post; I've not listened to these discs in a while but enjoy these more 'ancient' instruments; the inserted disc contains 13th century French & English Dances + 14th century Italian Dances - all instrumental music w/ a wide variety of instruments (and in various combinations), e.g. shawms, flutes, harp, dulcimer, recorder, rebec, vielles , bagpipes, drums, and others; plenty of interesting pics in the booklet notes which are quite extensive - just returned from a 'too short' vacation to FL and OFF tomorrow, so will give them a listen!  Dave  :)

Que

Gathered around some of the comments on this set, before they are burried in the Listening thread forever.. :)

Quote from: BaxMan on April 12, 2009, 11:44:30 PM


How is it Q? Mine's on order.  :D

Quote from: erato on April 04, 2009, 12:01:43 AM
Then you should go for the two cheap doubles by the Tallis Scholas on Gimell called Tudor Church Music 1 & 2. I find them even better than this fine Tallis set.

Quote from: Harry on April 04, 2009, 05:12:09 AM
This is by far the best Tallis I heard for years, including the much lauded Gimell recordings, which I never much liked.

Quote from: Que on April 12, 2009, 01:35:34 AM
It's a very nice set. Tallis is no Desprez, but who is? :) And it's interesting for me to hear the British Renaissance School.
Performances and recordings are excellent. The set comes with a CD-ROM with full liner notes and texts on a pdf file - 75 pages!  :o (conveniently in A4 format)

Quote from: Lethe on April 12, 2009, 10:06:26 AM
There is a bit of piecemeal on that set - I find that he excels in the motets more than any other area. But he is somewhat less of a rounded composer than Byrd, for example, although it doesn't help that less of his music has survived.

Still happy with the set. This particular disc (disc V) also contains Tallis' surviving organ music, played on a very pretty sounding early 17th century organ.

The music is very nice, though I guess I will not delve into choral music from the British Renaissance Music too deeply. I'm just more stirred by the Franco-Belgians, Iberians and Italians. But I will check out that other famous British Renaissance composer: William Byrd. :)

Q

The new erato

#196
The high renaissance lacks the grit and dissonance that the earlier renaissance provides, and therefore in my ears often sounds plainly "too pretty". I share your preference (in general) for the earlier generations, with some exceptions (the Spanish for their wonderfully ecstatic and "mystic" sounds, Lassus for his tunefullness). I find Talllis "too smooth" as well (I have owned this set for some time) - and have preferred composers like Sheppard and Philips, not to mention earlier generations like Frye and Dunstable.

Que

Quote from: erato on April 13, 2009, 12:29:44 AM
The high renaissance laks the grit and dissonance that the earlier renaissance provides, and therefore in my ears often sounds plainly "too pretty". I share your preference (in general) for the earlier generations, with some exceptions (the Spanish for their wonderfully ecstatic and "mystic" sounds, Lassus for his tunefullness). I find Talllis "too smooth" as well (I have owned this sett for some time) (...)

I didn't put it as plainly as that, but I cannot say that I much disagree either... ::)  8)

Thanks for the alternative suggestions! :)

Q

Lethevich

I agree about Tallis' "smoothness", and it does characterise a fair part of the English Renaissance, although I find a specific interest in it for being quite different to the smoothness Palestrina (for example) achives - the textures are less plush and full, and sometimes approach minimal. But this is not the case for all of them.

Dunstaple would definitely be more of interest to one who prefers the Franco-Flemmish style - I find this disc to be immaculate.
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Lethe on April 13, 2009, 12:50:36 AM
Dunstaple would definitely be more of interest to one who prefers the Franco-Flemmish style - I find this disc to be immaculate.

Sara - hey, I have that disc, also - need to give it a spin, though!  Dave  :D