Dowland: Consort Music and Songs

John Dowland (Composer), Rose Consort of Viols (Orchestra), Jacob Heringman (Performer), Catherine King (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jacob Heringman, Catherine King
• Orchestra: Rose Consort of Viols
• Composer: John Dowland
• Audio CD (October 10, 1998)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000014DF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,541 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to Dowlands and renaissance music, September 18, 2000

By 

Neri Kafkafi (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dowland: Consort Music and Songs (Audio CD)

If you are a classic or pop fan (or both), and you are not familiar with early music, buy this CD. After you will become addicted to it (as I had) you will rush to buy other CDs of this composer and period (as I did). It contains a balanced repertoire of galliards and other viols' music, songs and lute pieces, and all possible combinations of them. While not making any allowance for popularity, it does contain several timeless pieces that will nail you from first listening (try "lasso vita mia", for example), and the other pieces will get under your skin after several more. The sound of the Rose Consort of Viols is amazingly warm, makes you wonder why classical composers ever stopped writing for these instruments. Dowland's music is beautifully polyphonic, yet it never quits being melodious and lyrical. In fact, for pop fans it might be very enjoyable to discover Bach in a natural way by starting with Dowland, and not the other way around. This CD is not perfect: I would like my galliards with a bit more swing to them, and perhaps this is why this CD seems to over-emphasize the melancholic side of Dowland. Overall, however, this one is still closer to five stars than four, in the disc library of any music fan.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Okay for the Price, November 30, 2007

By 

Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Dowland: Consort Music and Songs (Audio CD)

The Rose Consort of Viols lacks the richness of tone of Fretwork and the incisiveness of rhythm of Phantasm, the two finest gamba ensembles on the block. There are some soft spots in their ensemble technique, to be heard especially in the lack of dance-step in their galliards and in the general 'sameness' of their interpretations of the sweetly sung songs included in this collection. Dowland has been both lauded and lambasted for his melancholy, which is just a little too evident for my taste on this disk. I'd like to hear his sprightly figures tossed off with more bravura. Fortunately the lutenist, Jacob Heringman, who supports most of the consort pieces has a fine forthright touch and keeps the momentum up when the gambas begin to sound introverted. On the whole, this is an adequate but not outstanding musical offering.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Step Back into Time & Relax..., September 5, 2007

By 

Emily W. Thompson "Educational Technologist" (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dowland: Consort Music and Songs (Audio CD)

I've had this CD for years, and it's lovely. The instrumentation and vocals sound authentic and true to the spirit of the original songs.