Search - Thomas Farmer, David Fallis, John Pepper :: Little Barley-Corne

Wonderful. Renaissance music from winter festivals.

Mark Henderson | Sammamish, WA USA | 01/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is contains various pieces of vernacular renaissance music connected to the festivals of winter. As one would expect, there is a fair bit of renaissance christmas music here.Quite a few of the tunes here are from Playford's "English Dancing Master".This CD reminds me of some of the better Baltimore Consort CDs. Compelling music. Very nicely performed."

The Renaissance Lives in "A Little Barley-Corne"

Dianne M. Skafte | Santa Barbara, CA USA | 12/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I listen to renaissance music, I want to be transported to another time and place. I want to feel that I am standing on a 15th century street corner as carrolers pass by, or sitting in a 16th century music room, listening to a consort by candle light. A LITTLE BARLEY-CORNE AND OTHER WINTER REVELS OF THE RENAISSANCE truly grants this wish. Each selection carries us into a different mood of the period. They range from simple, cheerful pieces, such as "The Little Barley-Corne," to sacred works of haunting beauty, such as "L'Annonciation De L'ange Grabiel." Selections are nicely balanced between instrumental and vocal, festive and meditative. Most of all, I love the exquisite restraint of these performances. Renaissance music is full of passion, and this passion comes through best, to my ears, when musicians adopt a slightly understated tone. This C.D. is a work of art from beginning to end, and I would recommend it to all lovers of the renaissance."

Warm, jolly revelry by singers and instrumentalists!

Brianna Neal | USA | 11/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This lively group from Canada certainly knows how to party on a cold winter's night, and their spirited arrangements of seasonal songs will cheer your heart! One thing that sets the Toronto Consort's rich sound apart from many other early music ensembles is that they feature a full range of excellent vocalists--SATTB--along with lushly textured instrumentation. Tenor David Fallis directs the core group of six--himself, mezzo-soprano Lauren Pudwell, tenor and harpsichordist Paul Jenkins, bass John Pepper, guitarist and lutenist Terry McKenna, and recorder player Alison Melville. Guests on this album are David Greenberg on violin, Ben Grossman on hurdy-gurdy and percussion, and soprano and gamba-player Katherine Hill. For more music to revel by, try also the group's next releases, "The Way of the Pilgrim: Medieval Songs of Travel", and "Mariners and Milkmaids: Ballads and Dances from 17th-Century England", as well as "A la Via!: Street Music from the 13th to the 16th Centuries" by Ensemble Anonymus and Strada, and "Sinners and Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection" by Philip Pickett and the New London Consort."