Customer Reviews

A Choice Collection

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have listened to this disc over and over for weeks on end. The playing is fabulous - spirited, informed, and with the fine sense of ensemble that one expects from the best string quartets. The repertoire is fascinating and entertaining. This is the perfect album to play when you get home after a really hard day. It restores my faith in Western Civilization. Order it today and I guarantee that you will become a fan of The Palladian Ensemble.

I bought this knowing nothing of the Palladian Ensemble other than the glowing review here. This is an era I enjoy, a unique collection of instruments, and I'm always on the lookout for the unknown. The playing is spirited, especially the viola da gamba--wow!, and the recording is certainly expressive, (maybe a bit too expressive; sometimes that recorder sounds as if it is whistling inside my head.) But I have given this CD at least twenty listens, and the compositions have failed to grab me. I believe Purcell the neglected genius of Western music, so I know the flavor. But while this is all pleasant enough and a few pieces do really shine, the vast majority of it falls into the charming background music. Nice enough to have on, good for cooking to or encouraging conversation, but the heart is just not there.

That is not to say there are not delights all over. These are mostly sprightly and elegant tunes. Sometimes they hit it spot on. The string playing is a marvel. But they do not grab the soul, shake it, and not let go. They dissipate all too readily, leaving nothing but a vaguely pleasant memory.

I ordered this CD as I was impressed with Palladian's CD " Held by the Ears". I found it a very successful program of music beautifully played ; a mix of Ayres by Nicola Matteis and trad/anon Scots tunes and ayres. This CD also has Ayres by Matteis and other works by lesser English composers of the period , they are all well played but taken as a program it all falls a bit flat. The Matteis is not as lively and jolly as that on "Held by the Ears", two movements are designated malinconico. The other composers have fallen into obscurity, possibly for good reason. There is one track by anon, "Old Simon the King", which provides 2 min of superb recorder playing.
I don't think this program quite works, even though the playing of it is excellent.