Recordings for lute and related instruments

[milk]

I'm not sure if I posted this - I thought I did but I don't see it now. Anyway:
I've been listening to Paul O'Dette's Dowland series. For a long time I didn't get into Dowland but now I can experience how wonderful his lute music is. And, though O'Dette's recordings are a bit old, they sound great.
So, what about other Dowland recordings like Lindberg? What should I hear and what should I be listening for also? I'm not sure how to understand the differences in approaches to lute music.

[Mandryka]

What should I hear

Mike Flentross.

[Mandryka]

I'm not sure how to understand the differences in approaches to lute music.

One thing I like to think about is how they use the silences, do they make it flow forward or do they enjoy the resonances.

[Que]

I'm not sure if I posted this - I thought I did but I don't see it now. Anyway:
I've been listening to Paul O'Dette's Dowland series. For a long time I didn't get into Dowland but now I can experience how wonderful his lute music is. And, though O'Dette's recordings are a bit old, they sound great.
So, what about other Dowland recordings like Lindberg? What should I hear and what should I be listening for also? I'm not sure how to understand the differences in approaches to lute music.

I have Nigel North's complete Dowland and some of O'D'ette's, and I like both.
To my mind O'Dette is the bolder, lively and expressive approach.
North is a bit more low key, but also more poetic and expresses more of Dowland's melancholy.
Lindberg I don't like, I find it detached and static, unengaging.

Outside the complete cycles I have been pleasantly surprised by Anthony Rooley.

Q

[milk]

New Marco DALL'AQUILA recording by Lukas Henning

[milk]

I'm really enjoying this. Bream's lute is different though. It doesn't sound like the lutes I hear on very up-to-date recordings. I'm not sure it'd be my recommendation for what Dowland should be - as far as I know what's what. I'd like to know more background on how people are playing this differently. Anyhoo, this is very touching and melancholy and beautiful.

[vers la flamme]

Thoughts on the complete Dowland lute music sets out there? I'm torn between Jakob Lindberg and Nigel North. They both sound great and both are quite cheap.

While I'm in this thread I may as well ask for recommendations for two lute composers I've been meaning to check out: Robert de Visée and Sylvius Leopold Weiss. What are some great discs dedicated to these composers?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Thoughts on the complete Dowland lute music sets out there? I'm torn between Jakob Lindberg and Nigel North. They both sound great and both are quite cheap.

While I'm in this thread I may as well ask for recommendations for two lute composers I've been meaning to check out: Robert de Visée and Sylvius Leopold Weiss. What are some great discs dedicated to these composers?

I don't listen to Dowland, but I have a good opinion about Lindberg in general. How about buying the both anyway? Also, I often hear good things about O'Dette's recordings. I haven't explored Weiss much either. But I like Kirchhof and Junghanel.

[SonicMan46]

Thoughts on the complete Dowland lute music sets out there? I'm torn between Jakob Lindberg and Nigel North. They both sound great and both are quite cheap.

While I'm in this thread I may as well ask for recommendations for two lute composers I've been meaning to check out: Robert de Visée and Sylvius Leopold Weiss. What are some great discs dedicated to these composers?

Well for Dowland, I currently have Nigel North, but had some Paul O'Dette which I culled out just to save some room - both well done; as to Lindberg own him w/ other composers so would suspect his Dowland is quite good - you simply need to decide on how many different performers will fit your needs; if just one, then any of these guys should please - if two, then decide!

As to Weiss, there is a LOT of music - I have 3-4 lutenists including Jakob Lindberg, but if you like 'one-stop' shopping, then the 12-CD box w/ Michel Cardin is hard to beat.  Finally, Robert de Visée who fascinates me but just collecting some recordings, including the discs below (one an MP3 DL w/ Smith) w/ theorbo - BTW, if you've not explored Hopkinson Smith on the lute, start w/ some of his Bach recordings.  Dave

   

[JCBuckley]

For de Visée, I very much like Fred Jacobs' recordings, and this:

[Mandryka]

An attractive performance by Walter Gerwig of a suite attributed to Johann Jakob Hoffer, it makes me hungry to hear more. But who is he? I can't find anything out about him, and this appears to be the only recording of anything. There is this



But this appears to be music by a different Hoffer - Wolfgang Adam.

[milk]

I'm just wading through all of Jose Miguel Moreno's output, some of it solo and some of it with Eligio Quintero. He plays therbo, lute, vihuela and baroque guitar on these recordings which range from De Visee to Luys Milan to Downland. I find his recording pleasing, like a soft warm blanket on a cold winter night. It makes me want to make some hot chocolate. Oh, and the album covers are exceptionally pleasing.

[SonicMan46]

Just a repost from the 'Listening Thread' for those who like Robert de Visée -   

Robert de Visée (c. 1655 - c. 1733) - Chamber & Guitar Music - de Visée was a lutenist, guitarist, theorbist and viol player at the court of the French kings Louis XIV and Louis XV, as well as a singer and composer for lute, theorbo and guitar. Short Wiki bio HERE w/ a list of his works, which are somewhat confusing on the 4-CD Brilliant set (explained better in the attached reviews) - I own this box + several theorbo CDs, one w/ Hopkinson Smith.  The guitar recordings are from Spotify listened to yesterday.  Dave

 

[Mandryka]

I can't get enough of this CD. There has been some discussion elsewhere about the sound quality, which is very full of partials. I am confident that it is a good recoding, and just an instrument I'm not used to, in the booklet Johannes Ötzbrugger writes

Thanks to modern recording technology, it is possible for us to perfectly capture the prevailing acoustics and mood.

And I expect that people who are more familiar with the real sound of these instruments won't be at all surprised, the sound reminds me a little of Franco Pavan's Mouton recording - I remember Que being surprised that I had any reservations about the sound, and now I think he was right, it was just my inexperience.

In the above quote, Ötzbrugger talks about the « mood » The mood is magical - fluid and peaceful, lots of air between the notes, enough polyphonic interest to satisfy the mind and enough lyrical interest to satisfy the soul.

This year has been an amazing year for new lute recordings for me because of this and because of Bor Zuljan's Dowland.  Both de Visée and Dowland have been lute composers whose music has not come easy to me in the past.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I don't have much lute music (perhaps some with Bream in LP collection?); I do have this CD (purchased many years ago) called "Intavoltura di Liuto, Tiorba e di Chitarrone with Olav Strandberg which I recall enjoying.

PD

[SonicMan46]

I don't have much lute music (perhaps some with Bream in LP collection?); I do have this CD (purchased many years ago) called "Intavoltura di Liuto, Tiorba e di Chitarrone with Olav Strandberg which I recall enjoying.

PD

Hi PD - well, if you're into early stringed instruments, then start expanding your collection!   

Going back into the pre-Romantic musical eras, there was so much experimentation in making a wide assortment of various stringed instruments; the lute, archlute, theorbo, cittern, vihuela, baroque guitar, mandolin, etc.  But take a look through this thread for recordings that might be of interest to you; also, there is a 'dormant' thread on early musical instruments HERE that I started back in 2009 that had a LOT of early activity, including much on string instruments.  Dave

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Hi PD - well, if you're into early stringed instruments, then start expanding your collection!   

Going back into the pre-Romantic musical eras, there was so much experimentation in making a wide assortment of various stringed instruments; the lute, archlute, theorbo, cittern, vihuela, baroque guitar, mandolin, etc.  But take a look through this thread for recordings that might be of interest to you; also, there is a 'dormant' thread on early musical instruments HERE that I started back in 2009 that had a LOT of early activity, including much on string instruments.  Dave

Thank you, Dave, for the suggestions and link.  I'll dig around at some point in time...currently working on other pursuits...and chores, etc. (so much to do, so little time!  ).

Best wishes,

PD

[SonicMan46]

      

I can't get enough of this CD. There has been some discussion elsewhere about the sound quality, which is very full of partials. I am confident that it is a good recoding, and just an instrument I'm not used to, in the booklet Johannes Ötzbrugger writes......................

Well, my interest was really piqued w/ the Ötzbrugger CD - found a picture of him holding a 14-course (could count the lower pegs in the original on the web) theorbo which I assume is the same instrument used in this recording - listened to the recording on Spotify - outstanding up-close performance; so, decided to put together a de Visée 'combo playlist' (last image above) on Spotify (mostly theorbo but some Baroque lute & guitar) - I'm sure there is a lot of overlap but too lazy to check -    Dave

P.S. click on his image to enlarge - shows the theorbo well!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Well, my interest was really piqued w/ the Ötzbrugger CD - found a picture of him holding a 14-course (could count the lower pegs in the original on the web) theorbo which I assume is the same instrument used in this recording - listened to the recording on Spotify - outstanding up-close performance; so, decided to put together a de Visée 'combo playlist' (last image above) on Spotify (mostly theorbo but some Baroque lute & guitar) - I'm sure there is a lot of overlap but too lazy to check -    Dave

P.S. click on his image to enlarge - shows the theorbo well!

Morning Dave!

I checked out a bit of the de Visée disc on his website.  Wow, what a beautiful sound!  And lovely and calming music (good for these stressful times in particular).  Here's his website with various samples of his recordings:  https://www.johannes-oetzbrugger.com/6345884/media

The "Españolotas" is very nice too. 

PD

[Mandryka]

Milk will like this one, Bach's Cappriccio on the departure of his dearly beloved brother arranged for "backside-guitar" by Simon Steen Anderson -- one of the better modern Bach transcriptions. The guitar is played like a keyboard!

https://www.youtube.com/v/KwtXFOw0XWo&ab_channel=FrancescoPalmieri