Complete Larchimæ

Description

London, April 1604. With freshly printed copies of his Lachrimæ under his arm, John Dowland walks from the printing house to his home on Fetter Lane. He should have been back in Denmark long ago, but for now, all his thoughts are focused on the new edition under his arm, his latest work, his most ambitious to date: a complete cycle of instrumental music, 21 dances, honorably dedicated to Princess Anne of Denmark. Indeed, Dowland has just completed one of the greatest masterpieces of Renaissance music. He left England to serve the Danish court, disappointed not to have been appointed court composer in Elizabethan England, but seems to have made the best of all adversities to compose this magnificent collection of purely instrumental works, much of which is steeped in the melancholy typical of the late 16th century. Musicall Humors – a collective that brings together the best viol players of their generation – performs the complete collection of these pavanes, galliards, and allemandes, grouped into suites, each with its own character. A character inspired by the music, but also enhanced by the changing composition of the consort and the alternation of the main "top," each player's personal style giving a particular color to each piece.