Friday, 16 February 2018

de Visée - Pieces de Theorbe - Moreno


Rating: 5/5

Review:
Excellent



This is an excellent disc.  I like many of Jose Miguel Moreno's recordings very much, but this is probably my favourite.

Robert de Visée was active in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries and his music is full of very engaging baroque rhythms and counterpoint.  Many of his works are suites of dances (two of which are included here) and they are all thoroughly enjoyable while having genuine intellectual weight.

Moreno plays them superbly.  He has the excellence of technique to make this sometimes very demanding music sound quite natural, and a beautiful tone to his theorbo.  He judges the rhythmic freedom excellently, bringing shape and feeling to the music while never straying into over-romantic gestures.  It's exemplary playing, I think.

If you like the theorbo, lute music in general or just enjoyable, well-played music, don't hesitate.  This is terrific and very warmly recommended.

1 comment:

  1. I have to agree wholeheartedly with your review. This is some of the finest lute playing I've heard on an instrument that sounds as sweet as honey. No tinniness or banjo like sonorities to be heard here. Definitely a five star recording.

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