Rating: 4/5
Review:
Very enjoyable
I like this disc. I
was almost put off by the name of the duo, but I'm glad I wasn't because it's
an enjoyable and imaginative collection.
These are pieces arranged for lute and triple harp, largely
by English composers of the 16th and 17th centuries. There's good stuff here from Dowland, Byrd,
Holborne, Locke and others, which sounds very good in these arrangements and is
well played. What lends the programme a
bit of spice, however, is the inclusion of five transcriptions of tracks by –
wait for it – Led Zeppelin: Bron-Y-Aur, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Black Mountain Side,
Tangerine and Going To California, all very familiar to me from my teenage
years. This could be dreadful, but in fact
I think it works really well. They are
obviously modern, blues-influenced pieces, but to me they don't jar with the
others and I find them very enjoyable indeed.
I'm not sure I quite buy the arguments advanced in the notes
by Luca Pianca about "elements that inseparably link it [the Led Zeppelin
pieces] to the musical and cultural past of the glorious Albion,"
but he (slightly convolutedly) asks that "the non-judgmental listener pass
their judgement on the outcome of this project," and my judgement is very
favourable. This is a proper programme
of well played lute music with some imaginative and very enjoyable modern
inclusions which I can recommend warmly.
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