There is no shortage of recordings of Dowland's beloved Lachrimae collection (1604) for gamba consort. However, this is one of the most sober, because on this 'limited edition' we only find the seven Lachrimae variations, while the original collection also contained 'various other pavans, galliards and allemands'. The layout of this half-hour CD is also in sober black and white. All ingredients,
… so, for thirty minutes, revel in gloom. After all, like many contemporaries, Dowland was a master of this: melancholy was very trendy in England in the decades around 1600. In the performance of Dowland's music on this CD, as is often the case, melancholy is also very slow and a bit on the fat side. Wonderful, but just a little more tempo could perhaps make the movement in the musical lines a bit clearer. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful and moody rendition of Dowland's masterpiece, ideal for autumn evenings. (TC)more
