Monica Hall wrote:
Don't know whether the rest of you have already noticed this but Carpe
Diem have recently released a beautiful recording of music from
Corbetta's 1671 Guitarre royale played by Rosario Conte - the best
recording available now Antonio Ligios recording is no longer
available.
For some reason the first suite reminds me of a very old recording of
Schaffer's on Baroque lute of a suite in G minor by Bittner.
Someone said the recording is 'close' and you can hear fingers on
strings - other than playing the notes! - and indeed the man himself
breathing. (My wife thinks he looks like the actor, Patrick Stewart).
He surely gets a very nice sound from the guitar and his brushing of
chords is very delicate (some players are rather raspy) and lots of
ornaments. The Prelude of this first suite is quite slow with familiar
little phrases but Rosario gives his all. The Allemande has a little
percussive sound at the beginning which happens at the repeat? Seems very
well played to me. The Courante sounds fine to me too but I agree with
others that the Sarabande is too slow. The Baroque lute can be played
super slow (as it were) but I'm not sure this very slow tempo suits the
guitar, or even this particular sarabande. A fine gigue (which is
reminiscent of something else) and a swingless Passacaille to end.
Stuart
I am glad you seem to like it. Actually I have Claire Antonini's recording
of French lute music and she plays a sarabande by Dufaut - first half of the
17th C very slowly. I think it is more a question of the repertoire than
the date.
So far no one has commented on the fact that he plays the Corbetta with
octave stringing on the third course as well as the fourth (but not the
fifth). Perhaps none of you had noticed but it is obvious right from the
start of the G minor prelude if you are familiar with it. It's something
which I play myself. The De Visee is with octave stringing just on the
fourth course.
I decided to forgive him that lapse of good taste.
He looks a bit like one of my nephews actually. Having no hair seems
fashionable these days and if you watch him on Youtube he seems to have
grown some since then.
I've just had to review it for Lute News. Pity I didn't ask you all for
your views first!
MOnica
Monica
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