This is a very unorthodox recording of John Dowland's lute songs, emphatically not the right choice for a basic introduction. It's experimental in several ways, or at least three, really. That's usually a very risky thing; experiments are best undertaken against a backdrop of solidly mastered technique. That said, there are absolutely compelling moments here, and this disc belongs in any serious Dowland collection or in that of anyone who simply enjoys speculative modes of performance. The designer of the performance seems ...
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This is a very unorthodox recording of John Dowland's lute songs, emphatically not the right choice for a basic introduction. It's experimental in several ways, or at least three, really. That's usually a very risky thing; experiments are best undertaken against a backdrop of solidly mastered technique. That said, there are absolutely compelling moments here, and this disc belongs in any serious Dowland collection or in that of anyone who simply enjoys speculative modes of performance. The designer of the performance seems to be lutenist Peter Croton, who treats the Dowland songs in various ways: playing them straight, ornamenting them, and adding preludes and central sections. The most immediately unusual thing general listeners may notice is the voice of soprano Theresia Bothe, who was born in Canada to Irish and German parents and raised in Mexico. Perhaps her absolutely distinctive sound has to do with her Mexican background. Her singing is almost vibrato-free (vibrato creeps in as a feathery...
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