Proms Chamber Music 8 - 2.09.13: Dowland

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

1.00pm – c. 2.00pm
Cadogan Hall

Dowland
The King of Denmark's Galliard (2 mins)
Dowland
Can she excuse my wrongs (The Earl of Essex's Galliard) (4 mins)
Dowland
Flow, my tears (Lachrimae antiquae) (4 mins)
Dowland
My thoughts are winged with hopes (Sir John Souch's Galliard) (4 mins)
Dowland
Farewell Fancy (Chromatic fantasia) (5 mins)
Dowland
Sorrow, stay, lend true repentent tears (4 mins)
Dowland
Come again, sweet love doth now invite (3 mins)
Dowland
Mr John Langton's Pavan (5 mins)
Dowland
I saw my lady weep (6 mins)
Dowland
Lachrimae amantis (3 mins)
Dowland
If my complaints could passions move (Captain Digorie Piper's Galliard) (4 mins)
Dowland
Lachrimae tristes (5 mins)
Dowland
In darkness let me dwell (3 mins)
Dowland
Shall I strive with words to move (Sir Henry Noel's Galliard) (3 mins)

Fretwork
Ian Bostridge tenor
Elizabeth Kenny lute, Proms debut artist

In a concert to mark his birth, 450 years ago, singer Ian Bostridge, lutenist Elizabeth Kenny and viol consort Fretwork explore the music of John Dowland. Courtier, composer, internationally famous performer and occasional spy, Dowland was described by a contemporary as someone "whose heavenly touch upon the lute doth ravish human sense". Today's concert explores both that ravishing music - in songs, dances and instrumental works - and also Dowland's world and life - through musical portraits of his friends, associates and employers. And it includes the song which became his musical calling-card, one of the best known vocal works of the 17th century, and which came to be seen as the epitome of English melancholy: 'Flow my tears'.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Potentially a wonderful concert with no sting.

[Richard Tarleton]

Potentially a wonderful concert with no sting.

Indeed - though I also have to confess to an IB allergy, too precious by half in Dowland. I tried for a couple of tickets but missed out, so shall be listening on R3. (Presumably the film version will be on i-Player, like the Norwegian ladies?) Fretwork and Liz Kenny are both excellent. Getting an all-Dowland concert is a rare treat and a credit to the Proms, so I shouldn't grumble.

[Richard Tarleton]

I can only feel relieved I failed to get a ticket for this.

Fretwork are excellent, but I had to switch over for a while (after Liz Kenny's Chromatic Fantasia) because I find Bostridge's voice, especially in this repertoire, close to unbearable. It's getting worse. As I'm not a voice coach I find it hard to describe exactly what I hear, but there's a sort of ring behind it, something I imagine to do with the way the voice is produced. At times it can sound arch, at others strangulated, sometimes forced. At all times it sounds (to me) over-studied and over-produced. Compare him in this repertoire to the simple clear unforced tenor of a Martyn Hill ofr a Wilfred Brown, or the counter-tenor of Iestyn Davies (eg at the recent York Early Music Festival, with Thomas Dunford) or Michael Chance (whom I have on a CD of Byrd and Dowland with, er, Fretwork), and it might be clearer what I mean.

My experience of Dowland performance goes back to hearing Pears and Bream performing Dowland in the 1960s. As with Pears, I daresay Bostridge is vocal Marmite - I know he has his admirers on this forum. I have a similar problem with Mark Padmore - I briefly owned a Dowland CD of him with Liz Kenny, until I gave it away.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I can only feel relieved I failed to get a ticket for this.

Fretwork are excellent, but I had to switch over for a while (after Liz Kenny's Chromatic Fantasia) because I find Bostridge's voice, especially in this repertoire, close to unbearable. It's getting worse. As I'm not a voice coach I find it hard to describe exactly what I hear, but there's a sort of ring behind it, something I imagine to do with the way the voice is produced. At times it can sound arch, at others strangulated, sometimes forced. At all times it sounds (to me) over-studied and over-produced. Compare him in this repertoire to the simple clear unforced tenor of a Martyn Hill ofr a Wilfred Brown, or the counter-tenor of Iestyn Davies (eg at the recent York Early Music Festival, with Thomas Dunford) or Michael Chance (whom I have on a CD of Byrd and Dowland with, er, Fretwork), and it might be clearer what I mean.

My experience of Dowland performance goes back to hearing Pears and Bream performing Dowland in the 1960s. As with Pears, I daresay Bostridge is vocal Marmite - I know he has his admirers on this forum. I have a similar problem with Mark Padmore - I briefly owned a Dowland CD of him with Liz Kenny, until I gave it away.

I was less than impressed too. 'In darkness let me dwell' seemed to be made hopelessly discontinuous by his different inflections of words in the same sentence, and the strong (bizarre) colourings applied seemed to wreck intonation. Some other songs were better, but I'm not rushing to repeat the experience.

[jean]

Did I really hear the announcer telling me that I had just heard a Fantasia for solo flute?

[doversoul1]

I couldn’t listen to the live broadcast so I was very much looking forward to hearing it on iPlayer, and I’ve just heard the beginning of the programme… oh no… oh dear…

I am aware that there are many different ways of singing Dowland and there are some I am not too keen on but this, to me, sounded positively WRONG. Bostridge could well have been singing Puccini. As Richard says, there is a list of countertenors, including Robin Blaze, who are wonderful in Dowland songs. If countertenor is not the choice, there are many tenors whose voice and singing style are far better suited to Dowland’s music. What a pity.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Did I really hear the announcer telling me that I had just heard a Fantasia for solo flute?

I certainly shared the same illusion!

[Richard Tarleton]

Did I really hear the announcer telling me that I had just heard a Fantasia for solo flute?

You did indeed, jean . Really, his job isn't that difficult. He didn't seem to hear himself say it, either. Richard Boothby also mis-spoke, saying that Dowland fell in with some Catholic plotters who were "plotting the downfall of the King [sic]", but then I'm sure the last thing he wanted to be doing in the circs was talking.

Fretwork and Liz Kenny played beautifully. I have just watched the video on iPlayer, fast-forwarding the Bostridge bits - the Chromatic Fantasia for, er, lute is at 12.06, and the concert hits a sweet spot at 31.03 with Mr John Langton's Pavan and Lachrimae amantis. For other Bostridge-avoiders, the Lachrimae tristis is at 52.26. Liz Kenny is playing a 10 course lute (the lute was growing rapidly in the late 16th century, an earlier Renaissance lute like the one I briefly played would have had 6 courses and have been about half the size!). She is a most sensitive consort player.

[jean]

The playing was beautiful, but I agree with everyone else here that Bostridge was just wrong.