ISBIN: 23 tracks all compositions of Gilbert Isbin
Stathis Skandalidis (8 course Renaissance Lute)
Tern Records: Tern 007
Here is a relative rarity, 23 modern compositions by Belgian composer, guitarist and lutenist Gilbert Isbin, all written for and performed on an 8 – course Renaissance Lute .Incidentally all the pieces on this CD are available as sheet music from the UK Lute Society , as two books, Harvest, and 7 Old Flemish Songs for solo Lute).
The sound world of the Lute is very gentle and a quite different tonal quality from our usual classical guitar and so hearing modern compositions performed on it is an intriguing idea and yet quite different from anything else you may already have.
Anyone who has heard Gilbert Isbin’s pieces will know that they are modern, not usually atonal, but often moving in a different direction from what you may be expecting.
The performances are all absolutely stunning, as is the recording quality, and although the lute is mostly unable to play in a wide variety of tones or even volumes, one quickly gets used to that fact, and so lovers of his music but unaware of the lute side of his writing should really give this most unusual, and yet fine album a try, and at over 62 minutes of playing, you certainly get your value for money. A fine CD!
Chris Dumigan