Search - Ludwig Senfl, Charles Daniels, Fretwork :: Ludwig Senfl: Im Maien

You may never take this music out of your player...

Jerry Brewer | Idiot, IN USA | 01/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In May by Ludwig Senfl is instrumentally performed by Fretwork. The singing of Charles Daniels, tenor, is very special as I imagine Herr Senfl intended it. Fretwork and Charles Daniels are most balanced and lovely. I say it is as pleasing as Cipriano De Rore's Missa Praeter Rerum Seriem by the Tallis Scholars -a true gem. This would make a most excellent gift if one wishes to share it."

A musical feast..

anonymous | Los Angeles | 02/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I ran across this recently, and I've been utterly entranced by it for the last week or so.



Senfl was an enormously gifted melodist, practically the Schubert of his time, and that's saying something, not only because Schubert might have been the greatest melodist who ever lived, but because Senfl had plenty of competition in 1500 as a melodist.



He wrote a fair amount of impressive sacred music, but it's in the german lied of his time that he shines above all others.



It's worth noting that he wasn't just a song-writer..he had a profound grasp of his craft, and was capable of the most elaborate, and melodic, counterpoint, which is on full display in this recording, along with the most simple and beautifully soulful singing.



This disk is full of lied. Some for consort of viols alone, most in the style of the renaissance tenorlied, going back to the 13th century. The song lyrics are a varied lot, from typical love songs of the time, to a long autobiographical song that reveals quite a bit about Senfl's approach to his art, to slyly, implicitly sexual songs, to a bewitchingly beautiful song that concludes the recording, about the evils of money--some things never change!



Technical quality of the recording is absolutely flawless, capturing the delicate sounds of the viols, the intimate ambiance typical of the time...Fretwork's playing is perfect-plus, as usual, and you can't say enough about Charles Daniels' singing: it's hypnotically beautiful, he really gets you to feel the lyrics, and he meshes perfectly with the viols.



If I could give this recording 10 stars, I would. It's that good. Even if early renaissance music is not your thing, try this. It is, in the manner of all masterwork, both intensely of its time, and timeless."