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Review
Extraordinary music, this: a young man s experiments in what by the late 17th century was an old English form, the string fantasia...No group play the viol repertoire with more flair and feeling than Fretwork, and this rounded recording catches them on top form. --Geoff Brown, The Times, June 27, 2009
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
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.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I agree with the previous reviewer. This excellent new version by fretwork is better recorded and more lively than the recording on Virgin.
I love these pieces and have listened to numerous recordings. This is now one of my three favourites. The others are Concentus Musicus Vienna (from 1965 on a vanguard cd/mp3) and Hesperion XX, who choose odd speeds but play with conviction. Phantasm are good too, but a bit too effortful for me.
I love these pieces and have listened to numerous recordings. This is now one of my three favourites. The others are Concentus Musicus Vienna (from 1965 on a vanguard cd/mp3) and Hesperion XX, who choose odd speeds but play with conviction. Phantasm are good too, but a bit too effortful for me.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
ONCE MORE, WITH INNER DETAIL
8 Sep 2009
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Not as good as their earlier version on Virgin Classics
12 Jan 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was looking forward to an even better recording of this beautiful music by Fretwork because I so much enjoyed their earlier recording on Virgin Classics. Having listened to both side by side I have concluded that the sound on the earlier version is preferable: slightly warmer, less astringent and more poetically performed. Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. And besides, the earlier recording came in a jewel box case, not a thin cardboard folder (although the newer cover illustration is visually superior to the earlier one).
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