Lute

The Swedish lutenist, Jakob Lindberg, developed his first passionate interest in music through the Beatles. He started to play the guitar and soon became interested in the classical repertoire. From the age of 14 he studied with Jörgen Rörby who also gave him his first tuition on the lute. After reading music at Stockholm University he went to London to study at the Royal College of Music. Here he further developed his knowledge of the lute repertoire under the guidance of Diana Poulton and decided towards the end of his studies to concentrate on Renaissance and Baroque music.

The lute reigned supreme as the instrument of choice throughout the Renaissance, but waned in popularity in the seventeenth century as keyboard instruments became more refined and widespread. Yet, it held its own in the Baroque era in certain regions, particularly in France, where large quantities of dance suites were written. Toward the end of the century, the lute enjoyed something of a revival as it became extremely popular in German-speaking countries, and in regions of central Europe. Today, it has found a home as a continuo instrument, often preferred to the harpsichord for its rich and gentle tone, and its warmer sound. Artists such as Stephen Stubbs, Lucas Harris, Daniel Swenberg and Michael Fields have brought the Baroque Lute into a new daylight, championing, post-Renaissance compositions and making it the continuo instrument of choice in a large body of vocal and chamber music. This disc of works by Johann Kropfgans brings the lute into prominence as a chamber music partner, and although the pieces are simple and most likely intended originally for amateurs, this fine ensemble brings the music to life with all the care and dedication that one might expect to go into a disc of Bach or Handel.

The Siena Lute Book is the best manuscript source of fifteenth century Italian lute music in existence, and it is kept in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague. Its creamy white and carefully copied pages yield more than seven score lute compositions, compiled in the last decade of the fifteenth century but belonging to a time about 40 years before. On this Avie album, lutenist Jacob Heringman puts together a winning selection of 26 of these pieces in an order that roughly corresponds to The Siena Lute Book set that he has been touring with for some time.

This attractively presented disc is not the same one recorded by Japanese-French lutenist Yasunori Imamura for the Capriccio label in 1998, even though the keys of the two lute sonatas, and the presence of a central pair of shorter works, makes the program look almost identical. Sylvius Leopold Weiss was nearly an exact contemporary of Bach's, and the notes by Beat Hänggi contend that were it not for the difficulty and obscurity of the lute, he would be nearly as well known as today. That's hard to swallow, considering the versatility of Bach's talents and the fact that Weiss occupies one small corner of the Baroque musical universe. Nevertheless, Bach is thought to have admired Weiss' playing, and may have written lute music for him. The comparison has some validity.

In 1991 lutenist Jakob Lindberg bought a very special instrument – one of the rare extant lutes by Sixtus Rauwolf, built c. 1590. The restoration of the lute took several years and was rather painstaking: for some repairs they even used ancient wood from the library in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Considering the great age of the instrument it was nevertheless in good shape and is now probably the only one in the world that, retaining its original soundboard, is in playable condition.

The American lutenist, Hopkinson Smith, began as a teenager he began to study the classical guitar and in his early 20's, he became acquainted with the lute which he started to learn by himself. He majored in musicology at Harvard and graduated with honors in 1972. In 1973, Hopkinson Smith came to Europe to devote himself to the lute in earnest. He worked in Catalonia with Emilio Pujol, a profound pedagogue in the 19th century tradition who instilled in him a sense for higher artistic values, and in Switzerland with Eugen Dombois whose sense of happy organic unity between performer, instrument and historic period has had a lasting effect on him. From the mid 1970's, he was involved in various ensemble projects including the founding of the ensemble Hespèrion XX and a ten-year collaboration with Jordi Savall. This collaboration led to important experiences in chamber music which were a creative complement to his work as a soloist.

This new release features French baroque lute music played by lutenist Toyohiko Satoh on an original instrument from 1611. On this album, Toyohiko Satoh explores the musical connection between the French Style Brise and the Japanese aesthetics of Iki, creating a unique new interpretation of the French lute repertoire. The Japanese lutenist Toyohiko Satoh (????) is one of the most influential lute players of the last century. Born in 1943, he is now looking back on a career of over 40 years of lute playing, including 35 years teaching as a professor for lute at the Royal Conservatory of Den Haag, the Netherlands. Besides being a performer, he is also composing music for chamber ensembles and solo lute, as well as researching and writing about music.

The popularity of the lute in the Renaissance and Baroque periods continued during the early years of Haydn's life. By this time it usually had thirteen courses (twenty-four strings arranged in pairs with the top two courses being single) and it was still appreciated among the European aristocracy. It is therefore not surprising to find four works for lute and strings by Joseph Haydn in two manuscript sources from the middle of the 18th century. Three of these are well known in versions for string quartet (Op.1 No.1, Op.1 No,6 and Op.2 No.2) whereas the Sonata a 3 in F major has not survived in any other form.

Alessandro Piccinini, a contemporary of Monteverdi and Frescobaldi, hailed from a Bolognese family of lutenists that made its mark on Italian musical life for over one and a half centuries. Piccinini's two books of lute works are primarily influenced by the emergent Italian instrumental music, but French and Spanish influences can also be clearly heard. On the present recording, Monica Pustilnik performs selections from both books.

O'Dette is unsurpassed among modern players in technical mastery of the lute, and indeed there is nothing in Kapsberger's music that is beyond him. More importantly, his touch is sure, his articulation is clean, and his tone is balanced in a way that brings Kapsberger's music into incredibly clear focus. O'Dette's interpretations fall on the ear in a way that makes them seem almost inevitable, as if this music should be played no other way.