Customer Reviews

Two Renaissance Dance Bands; Monteverdi's Contemporaries

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The first 21 cuts on this CD are a re-release of the album 'Pleasures of the Court'. This was one of the first albums in this genre which showed that music of this period was really alive, not merely 'quaint'. The rest of the pieces on this CD are equally marvelous. David Munrow really began a revolution in the interpretation of renaissance music, and one wonders what he would have done had he not taken his own life at such a young age.

Simply one of the best dance compilations ever released - a definitive, fresh and energetic account of the first flowering of dance ensembles in C15-16th Europe. Still exciting nearly 20 years after its original release and a poignant reminder of the lost genius of English early music supremo David Munrow; the album was released shortly before his untimely death. Many recent collections have tried to tap into the fashion for early music but this one remains in a league of its own by virtue of the sheer energy and rhythmic drive of its performances - moving, too, in its (fewer) quiet moments. A sadly neglected "must-have".

Recommended. I first bought it on cassette in about 1978, and was delighted to re-discover it recently on CD. Evokes images of the Tudor and Jacobean royal courts. Remember this music if you should ever go to Hampton Court, or stand on Richmond Hill and look down "the matchless vale of Thames". Buy it while you can.

This CD is a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in historical music. I owned "Pleasures of The Court" as a teenager, and was thrilled to find it re-released in this collection. The other pieces were new to me and are fantastic!! Although many pieces on this collection are indeed, soft and calming, anyone who thinks ancient music was "slow and boring" have another thing coming when they hear this. Some of the songs are down right loud and boistrous enough to be played at a modern "rave". David Munrow was such a gifted conductor and it saddens me that we had him for so short a time. (The only group whom I feel comes close to capturing the same energy and passion for this period is the London Consort under the direction of Pickett) Do yourself a favor and buy this...then play it full blast.

A must have for those of us who can't get enough Renaissance music on the radio.