5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful collection, September 27, 2011
This review is from: Ottaviano Dei Petrucci: Harmonice Musices Odhecaton (Audio CD)
This is yet another wonderful reissue in HM's excellent Gold series. It is a collection of late-15th Century pieces by various great composers including Josquin, Obrecht and Isaac, set for viol consort. The exact provenance of the works and their arrangements is given in very interesting detail in the notes, and they form a fascinating, beautiful and varied programme.
Fretwork, as always, play superbly. They are a terrific ensemble with a long established reputation as one of the world's finest viol consorts. They play together with an effortless precision and the sound the make is lovely and often thrilling. Although the tone of the pieces of the time and of this collection is generally melancholy it never becomes turgid or depressing because the musicians invest it with real feeling, and what shines through is sheer beauty.
In short, this is an absolutely outstanding disc of wonderful music beautifully played, and I recommend it very warmly.
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