Andrew King

…Parrott parades his smooth and integrated forces with less instant theatricality. Instead we have here a typically homogeneous and unfolding scenario: how organically and gently "Tis Nature's voice" emerges, with Rogers Covey-Crump expressing the passions with a wonderful air of mystery. So too, "Soul of the world" — what a transcendent concluding passage — which has never been bettered for atmosphere and clarity of ensemble. The solo singing here is good (there is some exquisite work from Emma Kirkby and from tenors Charles Daniels and Paul Elliott in "In vain the am'rous flute").

Andrew Parrott and his Taverner Consort, Choir, and Players have made some of the finest Purcell recordings to have appeared since the period-instrument revival began; unfortunately, most of those discs had been out of print for years. Happily, Virgin has reissued some of Parrott's best work on this reasonably priced two-for-one release. The performances aren't just exemplary, they're something of a landmark: in them Parrott pioneered the now-standard practice of using high tenors rather than falsettists on some of Purcell's low-lying "countertenor" parts. (One example is "Sound the trumpet," a duet for "high" and "low" countertenors from Purcell's ode Come, ye sons of art, sung by falsettist Timothy Wilson and high tenor John Mark Ainsley.) … –Matthew Westphal

The Flesh Creeping Gonzoid: Speciality Offal & Other Choice Cuts is the sister collection to The Flesh Creeping Gonzoid: Speciality Offal & Other Imaginary Creatures. The box consists of 6 CDs and a DVD of studio out-takes, deleted obscurities, compilation appearances, vinyl and download releases. All discs are over 75 minutes in length and feature a wealth of previously unreleased material.

In this collection of dances and short works for Baroque guitar by Spanish composer Santiago de Murcia (1682-1732?), Paul O'Dette plays some pieces just as written and others with an accompaniment of percussion and other guitars based on clues he finds in the music suggesting supplemental instruments, and the resulting selection is delightfully varied. Murcia was a wonderfully versatile composer, as demonstrated in these delicate, reserved laments, formally sophisticated dance forms taken from French suites, and rowdy popular dances with Amerindian and African influences.

Like many of England's finest musicians, Andrew Lawrence-King began his career in choir school, serving as head chorister for the Cathedral and Parish Church of St. Peter Port, Guernsey. He took an organ scholarship to Cambridge University, where he read mathematics, but finished his studies in organ and voice at the London Early Music Centre. A party at a harpmaker's house gave the opportunity for Lawrence-King to own his first early harp, modeled after a Medieval Irish instrument.

Jordi Savall & Andrew Lawrence-King - The Celtic Viol (2009) {Alia Vox AVSA 9865}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 421 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 182 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 92 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2009 Alia Vox | AVSA 9865
Classical / Chamber Music / Celtic / World

Thanks to in-depth research into original manuscripts, Jordi Savall reveals the hidden beauties of Irish and Scottish music from 17th to 19th Century. The transcription from fiddle to baroque viol sounds so obvious that everyone realizes the closeness of traditional and ancient repertoires at once. Some of the pieces are irresistibly vivid and virtuosic, some are more melancholic-but all of them deserve the renasissance Jordi Savall offers them in this collection, where he partners with harp virtuoso Andrew Lawrence-King.

Andrew Lawrence-King ‎– Chorégraphie: Music For Louis XIV's Dancing Masters
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 277 MB | Full Artwork: 151 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMU 907335 | Country/Year: France 2007
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

"This is one of those albums that can be listened to on two levels: one for the enjoyment of the rich, heavily ornamented sound of Andrew Lawrence-King's Baroque triple harp (the term refers to the instrument's three rows of strings, a configuration that survives today in Welsh folk music), and one for the music involved and how it fit into the musical and cultural universe of its time. (…) The sound picks up every little detail of Lawrence-King's harp, some of which are as quiet as the sounds of a Chinese zither." ~AMG, 4,5/5

Other recent King's Singers' recordings on this label have reaffirmed the ensemble's credentials as compelling advocates of contemporary music. Here, only the most hardhearted of early music purists could fail to find the infectious cocktail of popular and religious Spanish music–largely 16th century–going to their heads, even if the King's Singers add the occasional theatrical embellishment. The music (much of it by "Anon") is organized into five categories, among them "fire" and "water" (with the alternative implications of ardor and alcohol).

The King's Noyse are a terrific ensemble who have made a lot of very good discs indeed over the years. This is among them. It is billed as a disc from 1995 of dance music and song from Italy between about 1580 and 1650, which though strictly accurate, may be a little misleading. Lively dance rhythms are certainly there, but a good deal of the disc is contemplative and sometimes rather melancholy in feel. There are single works by both Monteverdi and Gesualdo but the other works are largely by much more obscure composers, and although I know a little of some like Rovetta and Castello, most were completely new to me. I always like to be introduced to new composers, and the music is very fine throughout the disc.