The Voice of The Muse: Answering The Call to Write

The origins of The Roads has us returning to Escape Music and Khalil Turk's Turkish Delight album. Turk need some guitar work for the song Get Out Of Hear, so he contacted Gary Pihl (Boston/Sammy Hagar). Pihl wanted to play with the groove but needed a drummer so, in turn, Turk offered Josh Devine (One Direction, Levara). This led to Pihl wondering who the vocalist for the song was. It turned out to be Josh's father, Mick from the band Seven. Turk, who has the gift of both recognizing talent and musical chemistry put Pihl and Mick on to a collaboration, and The Roads was born.

Alessandro Scarlatti wrote over 600 cantatas, two of which are on this 1987 disc performed by soprano Lynne Dawson and the Purcell Quartet: Correa nel seno amato and Già lusingato appieno. He wrote considerably less keyboard music – and next to nothing compared with the gargantuan achievement of his son Domenico – one of which is on this disc performed by Robert Woolley, the harpsichordist of the Purcell Quartet: the Variations on La Folia. With the chamber cantatas flanking the keyboard variations, this disc is a wonderful program of the elder Scarlatti's art. Though there are some who might argue English soprano Dawson is perhaps too reserved for this repertoire, none would argue that she doesn't have a clear voice and a supple technique. And while there are others who might argue the Purcell Quartet is perhaps too stringent for the repertoire, none would argue they don't play together with consummate ease and they don't accompany Dawson with brilliant mastery. But there are few who would disparage Woolley's blindingly virtuosic and blazingly demonic La Folia Variations.