NIGEL NORTH : Robert Johnson –The Prince’s Almain and Other Dances for Lute
ROBERT JOHNSON : The Prince’s Almain, Masque and Coranto ; Pavan No1; Galliard – My Lady Mildemay’s Delight; Pavan No2 ; 2 Almains; The Noble Man; The Witches’ Dance ; Pavan No3 ; 3 Almains; The Fairies’ Dance ; Fantasie ; Galliard; Lady Strange’s Almain ; Pavan No4; The First, Second and Third Dances in the Prince’s Masque; 3 Almains; The Satyre’s Dance.
Nigel North
Naxos 8.572178
Playing a 10-course lute and using original manuscript sources or, in two cases his own reconstructions, Nigel North presents a lovely recital of dances by Robert Johnson, a contemporary of Shakespeare for whose plays he wrote songs and incidental music. Although they use the Renaissance forms of pavan, galliard, almain and fantasie, Johnson’s works tend to be a little more lyrical in style that makes his pieces sometimes sound like they were written in the Baroque period.
His 24 surviving lute works are all here. They include the very fine Fantasie (his only example) whilst other, more serious pieces include the Four Pavans. Nigel North has rather freely reconstructed the Fourth, a very melancholic piece, from a keyboard original. The disc contains also several short dances, for example ten of Johnson’s Almains, which are recorded here. The first track begins with The Prince’s Almain probably the composer’s best known work. Nigel North gives it a very delicate performance here. There are other dances like the Satyre’s Dance and the Fairies’ Dance, and a piece called The Noble Man.
The recording is very clear and close so that the quietness of the lute comes over admirably, and the pieces themselves are so wonderful that I wonder just how many other pieces he wrote for the lute that didn’t survive the hundreds of years till now. What a shame if there were more! Anyway we have here his total lute works and I can say that the performances are excellently played and recorded, and full of great musical moments.
Chris Dumigan
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