Customer Reviews

Lute Music for Witches and Alchemists / Lutz Kirchhof

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sorry folks, but the title of this CD might be a bit misleading. You will not hear Halloween sound effects, or "A Night on Bald Mountain" Disney-style. Instead you will be treated to meditative music based on the theories of Ficino, Agrippa, and others. Kirchof does us all a favor by fleshing out what has previously been locked away in archives and rare publications and allowing us to hear each composition as it was originally meant to be heard. A good book to buy with this CD would be D.P. Walker's classic Spiritual and Demonic [as in Socrates' daemon, not the kind from the uh-oh place] Magic (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000). This music is meant to heal and not to hurt; meant to uplift and enlighten the mind and not to drown it in darkness. And besides all that folks, it's just plain pleasant to drink wine and eat cheese to. In addition, Lute Music For Witches and Alchemists has great liner notes that give the low-down on each Hermetic ditty. M & M it's not, thank Plato, Plotinus. Ficino, and the stars!

I can't agree with the above reviewer, whose dislike of this CD seems out of proportion. I too have a huge collection of lute records built up over the years, and used to play the lute (though not well enough for the public stage). Therefore I also have a strong basis of comparison between this and other similar works, and can't see what such negative judgment is based upon. The repertoire itself? This album contains a good representation of the periods it covers, the playing is exquisitely clean and spirited, the recording quality is clear with a "big" sound, and the instruments Kirchhof uses are obviously high-quality ones, with both resonance and brightness. I can't make the adjective "sad" compute at all, and wonder if the local 11-year-old's expectations were influenced by other more familiar types of music? Renaissance and baroque lute take some getting to know. They are not the sort of thing kids are over-exposed to, and must compete in their minds with a lot of more popular forms. In fact there is plenty of life in this beautifully played 73-minute album. Hear it and judge for yourself.

Phenomenal lute playing, top rate. Repertoire is fantastic. Lutz is well-named, as he has the true spirit of the lute in his hands. This CD has not left my CD player. Most everyone who hears it wants a copy. I've bought 4 copies already.

This CD is a wonderful selection of period lute pieces, very soothing to listen to, very exquisitely played. Even friends of mine who have no interest in period music find it enjoyable and ask me about it.

Kirchhof invariably finds interesting repertoire to entice us, but just as his jangly Bach pales next to North's, and his Weiss can't compare to Smith's, here he ends up trailing again.
While this disc might be attractive to newcomers to the lute and its magical attractions, I am sure that most who are familiar with the skills and taste of the other aforementioned artists will know that plenty of the music on this disc can be found, sounding better, elsewhere.
There's nothing bad about this disc, but nothing special, either.

I cannot agree with only one star, too. This CD is very beautiful! The music selection is perfect. Kirchhof plays the lute exquisitely. And the music is not sad. Instead I felt a kind of happiness at the first time I heard it. I feel very well when I hear this CD.

From the title you might expect this CD to contain spooky and other-worldly Halloween music but you'd be mistaken. Lute Music for Witches and Alchemists is a collection of solo instrumental lute music composed during the 1500s-1700s expertly played by Lutz Kirchhof. The lute, which closely resembles the modern acoustic guitar, was the main European musical instrument for hundreds of years. The "witches" of the title refers to the wise women of the era who often acted as midwives and practiced folk medicine using the ancient knowledge of herbs as well as music and dance to help their patients. The superstitions and fears of ignorant people along with the Church's greed for wealth and power caused the rejection of the healing knowledge as witchcraft and the scapegoating of the women as witches.

The CD booklet notes that "Witches and wise women used dance music for secret celebrations and healings" and that "Alchemists were prone to bouts of melancholy on account of their lonely occupation" and offers "music for the recreation of the spirit." Titles include "The Fairy Round" and "Battaille (from Le Secret des Muses)" and several selections are dedicated to the four elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. "Tarantella" is a song described by the composer as a "Musical remedy against the venom of the tarantula" and "Chorea 1 (from Noctes Musicae)" is described as "A little dance which those sick from the bite of the tarantula or spider especially like to hear" (Anthanasius Kircher). Other titles "seem to have been composed in the spirit of apocalyptic witch or death dances."

If you're looking for scary modern Goth tunes, the next Bauhaus, or something for your "Charmed" TV Witch, this isn't it. But if you want to experience soothing and healing music which reflects the real Witches of past eras and respects the natural connections between the Earth and the soul, then this could be the answer to your inner Wiccan or Pagan and would be a good choice for your comfortable Samhain wine and cheese gathering.

this CD is remarkable. If you love the lute the music on here will make you dance. I recomend this to any lover of classical music

I am sorry that the 11-year-old child found this sad music!!
That is truly within the realm of Herr/Herra Parent to educate the child that there is quite a universe of music that is out there.

The reason I call this 'My Precious', is that I had lost a lot in Hurricane Katrina, including my music library, which i am still slowly rebuilding, thank the Goddess!!

I owned this CD when it became released, and found it to be a collection of music that is most suited for comtemplative study, note-taking, journalling, writing memoirs with tea/coffee/mead/or aperitif. For me, it is also good music to use when busy scripting in my book-of-shadows, or rhyming wordings to be used later for some good works, by tensor light if not by candle.

As one who has self-taught guitar and medieval instruments, i appreciate the talent behind, and the hard work to play this collection.

I will place this among my 'workings' collection, once i receive it ... although not quick enough!

I felt as if I was back in the Middle Ages! It is well worth the $$$!!