Dowland, John (1563 - 1626)

[Sir Velo]

Interesting to listen again to Tess Knighton's BAL on Dowland in which she clearly comes down on the side of Padmore as the best single recital, finding Hill's singing although beautiful, lacking in "rhetorical engagement". She also posits the view that a less clearly polished tenor may well have been the kind of voice that Elizabethans would have expected, leading her unexpectedly to endorse Sting's recording.

Still, the more I hear of this repertoire the more fascinating it becomes. Rooley's integrale which garners plaudits on Amazon as well as here, may now have been somewhat overshadowed by later recordings.

[Richard Tarleton]

Interesting to listen again to Tess Knighton's BAL on Dowland in which she clearly comes down on the side of Padmore as the best single recital, finding Hill's singing although beautiful, lacking in "rhetorical engagement". She also posits the view that a less clearly polished tenor may well have been the kind of voice that Elizabethans would have expected, leading her unexpectedly to endorse Sting's recording.

Still, the more I hear of this repertoire the more fascinating it becomes. Rooley's integrale which garners plaudits on Amazon as well as here, may now have been somewhat overshadowed by later recordings.

Yes I couldn't have disagreed more with Prof Knighton re Padmore - who, like Bostridge carries preciosity in this repertoire to a whole new level, IMV. Curious that she should also enjoy Sting (and double ). The one thing I hold against the excellent Liz Kenny is that she has chosen to record and/or perform Dowland with both these artistes

It's fascinating how far the lutenists who appear on the discs have moved on since those recordings were made - I'm thinking particularly of Messrs North and Lindberg. The standard of both players and instruments have improved exponentially from the early days of the English HIPP movement.

[Sir Velo]

Yes I couldn't have disagreed more with Prof Knighton re Padmore - who, like Bostridge carries preciosity in this repertoire to a whole new level, IMV. Curious that she should also enjoy Sting (and double ). The one thing I hold against the excellent Liz Kenny is that she has chosen to record and/or perform Dowland with both these artistes

And yet...I've started to warm to Padmore's recital. Yes, he over emotes and there is a vibrato that is present on every phrase, but there is a real feel for the words and the diction is excellent; allied to which the recording captures the acoustic beautifully, Kenny's lute playing is sumptuous but never overstated.