Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century) [Import]

John Dowland (Composer), Thomas Campion (Composer), Traditional (Composer), Anonymous (Composer), Scottish Traditional (Composer), Andreas Scholl (Performer), Andreas Martin (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Andreas Scholl, Andreas Martin
• Composer: John Dowland, Thomas Campion, Traditional, Anonymous, Scottish Traditional
• Audio CD (August 13, 1996)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B0000007B8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,891 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Lute
  • #31 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Songs & Lieder > Folk Songs
  • #34 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Renaissance (c.1450-1600) > Composers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English perfection from the great German singer, October 8, 2000

By 

J. R. Gunsell "Maglinders" (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century) (Audio CD)

The CD starts with Behold a Wonder Here (Dowland) and for people familiar with Emma Kirby's rendering, it's a bit of a surprise. Nothing namby-pamby about this: it suits Andreas's range perfectly and he lets go with plenty of oomph.

The unaccompanied King Henry is a showcase for his purity of tone. I doubt that other countertenors could pull this song off so well, of those one thinks of at the present time.

His expression in My Love Hath Vow'd (Campion) is very varied and playful, but it is so very much a woman's song that I found it hard to take from Andreas Scholl, albeit sung so so well. I had to imagine the composer singing with his own lute, and remind myself over and over again that the singer is quoting the woman in the song ...

The preoccupation with sorrow and death of the English composers of the period seems to amuse Andreas somewhat, when he is asked about it, but you would never know it from listening to him sing these sad songs. His steady, pure voice is like a rope drawing you right into the pain. The highlights IMHO are All Ye Whom Love or Fortune Has Betrayed and I Saw My Lady Weep. Heartbreaking.

Andreas Scholl describes himself as a singer in the English tradition - despite what others say of him and his German/Swiss musical background. In these archetypal English songs, he proves his point. It is a beautiful, beautful collection.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FIRST RATE!, July 10, 1999

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century) (Audio CD)

I am not a fan of the sound of a counter-tenor. I would prefer to hear much of the same repertory sung by a mezzo, say Marilyn Horne or Rise Stevens. That said, Andreas Scholl continues to surprise me. His is not the whiny, nasal sound I associate with a counter-tenor. He has a bright, expressive voice of great passion. And this album does not disappoint. Most of the songs were new to me although I'd heard a few of them in modern arrangements for voice and guitar on other albums such as the superb "Elizabethan Lute Songs" on RCA Gold Seal sung by Sir Peter Pears accompanied by Julian Bream. Also it must be noted that Scholl's command of English is absolute. One would never imagine that English were not his first language.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly, April 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Andreas Scholl - English Folksongs & Lute Songs (17th Century) (Audio CD)

I have a stack of Andreas Scholl's CDs, but this one's my favorite! His voice is both sweet and masculine, capable of great vigor and great tenderness. And the minimal accompaniment on this recording allows him to sing with equal subtlety and calm. Put this disc on and wallow in the luxury of Scholl's first-class sound.