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	Fretwork Purcell the Complete Fantazias & in Nomines Genre: Classical The Fantazia for consort of viols is one of the glories of English music, and this unique repoertoire, spreading over nearly two centuries, represents the loftiest and most perfect kind of instrumental chamber music writte... more » « less
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CD Details

All Artists: Fretwork
Title: Purcell the Complete Fantazias & in Nomines
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Original Release Date: 1/1/2009
Re-Release Date: 5/12/2009
Album Type: Import
Genre: Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830)
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 093046750220

Synopsis

Product Description

The Fantazia for consort of viols is one of the glories of English music, and this unique repoertoire, spreading over nearly two centuries, represents the loftiest and most perfect kind of instrumental chamber music written in Europe before the era of the classical string quartet. In his Fantazias for viol, the young Henry Purcell put into practice all he had absorbed in the course of his technical and stylistic training. These pieces are a perfect illustration of his avowed ambition to surpass all his contemporaries. Formed in 1986, Fretwork is a consort of viols based in the United Kingdom. The group's repertoire consists primarily of music of the Rensaissance period, in particular that of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, arrangements of the music of J.S. Bach and contemporary music written especially for them.

CD Reviews

ONCE MORE, WITH INNER DETAIL

Kerry Leimer | Makawao, Hawaii United States | 09/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fretwork released this suite of Purcell works in 1995 on Virgin's Veritas label. This time out these new performances are a bit shorter, a bit more deliberate, perhaps even more authoritative, if that's possible where Fretwork is concerned. But the biggest change will be found in the recording itself. A vastly improved soundstage offers more than enough detail for the listener to de-strand the many closely woven lines. Loaded with lots of rosin and stringy warmth, an airiness to the playing, better, purposeful dynamics and presence all arrive with the typically immaculate and moving execution Fretwork is known for. I'm not sure what moved Fretwork to revisit this music other than its enduring melancholy and the chance to take advantage of vast improvements in digital recording. And those reasons prove to be more than enough justification. If you've had the Veritas version on the shelves since 1995, don't hesitate to join Fretwork in revisiting these intimate and timeless works. If you haven't, this is an excellent recording of works that epitomize both the period and the abilities of one of the England's most distinctive early composers in a recording that features the ideal combination of a detailed and alive performance captured by detailed and wide awake production."