 |
Consorts in Four
and Five Parts
Consort
Setts in Five Parts: For the Violls A4: |
PHANTASM
Laurence Dreyfus
treble viol/director
Wendy Gillespie treble viol · Jonathan Manson tenor
viol
Markku Luolajan-Mikkola bass viol
with Sarah Cunningham bass viol
CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS 15698
[66:50] full-price
by Chia Han-Leon
Viol music is definitely of a different class of soundworld
and evocation compared to any sort of 'modern string' ensemble music -
this sounds like "violin" music, but it isn't. The viol has
a much more rougher (or, as I would prefer to say, "pungent")
tone, more rugged, more penetratingly frank, even more rustic, coarse
sound. It is precisely this tone, which when combined together in the
form of a small ensemble (consort) of instruments, creates a terrifically
unique voice which is familiar yet unfamiliar.
William Lawes (1602-1645; period before Purcell) is one
of the most important key figures in the music of England. He was one
of the personal musicians at the court of King Charles I, and died at
an early age during the English Civil War (1642-51). He left behind many
songs, madrigals and of course music for string consort.
By and large, viol consort music is not to be taken in
large doses. Find yourself a sunny quiet afternoon or evening, and put
this on. Viol consort music, with its explicit division of 'parts' is
the kind of stringwork which calls for each individual player to weave
and intertwine among each other's lines. That layering is part of its
aural appeal.
The pieces here can be loosely described as collections
of fantasias (fantazies), airs (aires) and pavanes. Speaking of pavanes,
the viol has a pretty melancholic sound - the combination of a fivesome
of these ancestors of modern bowed strings is very.... pungent indeed.
Sometimes fragrant, like layers of perfume wafting in the air, at other
times vibrant, reflective, hypnotic.
Listening to viol music can be tiring if the consort does
not vary their colour. Thankfully, the skilled players of Phantasm and
their guest (Cunningham) provide ample deviation in their tonal range,
aided by Channel's very clean and natural recording.
I greatly enjoyed their fair, medium (not too rare, not
too overcooked) sound. They don't exactly have the smoothest sound, but
I must add that the smoothest sound would not be appropriate for this
music. There needs to be just a tinge of bitter coarseness, even a sort
of piquant sourishness, to make the viol a viol. By and large,
I enjoyed the thoughtful canvas of fantasia, lovely (or melancholic) stretches
of pavane, the light dance steps or wordless song of the airs, and especially
some of the very refined touches displayed during very light passages.
As usual with Channel Classics, the essay included in
the liner notes by the performer(s) is of unique and tremendous influence.
Laurence Dreyfus, leader of Phantasm, writes of his one summer afternoon
in 1975, "jamming" with some eminent Lawesians in Cambridge,
and adds:
Viol
Consort music is, like countertenor music, a sort of an acquired taste.
That doesn't mean I have trouble appreciating either of these. In fact,
I love them.
To make sense of Lawes... one has to crack his code. This means succumbing to his genial deviousness whilst also taking the time to characterize a range of feelings unique to him. ... Any viol player will tell you that the sensation of weaving in and out of Lawes' elaborate embroidery is quite unlike any other one can think of. But even for listeners confronted with the whole fabric, Lawes offers unparalleled pleasures.
Chia
Han-Leon also recommends reading Shakespeare while you are listening
to this sort of music.
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767: 27.8.2000 ©Chia Han-Leon
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