Search - Sylvius Leopold Weiss (Composer), Hopkinson Smith (Lute) :: Sylvius Leopold Weiss: Pièces de Luth (Works for Lute) - Hopkinson Smith

This is not Hopkinson Smith's best recording

Dirk Adriaensens | 07/30/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first weiss-cd I bought, played by my favorite lutenist: Hopkinson Smith. In the meantime I have a collection of 15 Weiss-cd's. So let's compare. Although Hopkinson Smith is the best interpretor of French renaissance lute-music, he is definitely not the best Weiss or Bach interpretor. If you compare the sonata n° 23 in F sharp minor with the version of Lutz Kirchhof (Weiss vol.3), the version of Lutz Kirchhof is a 1000 times better: clearer, more rhythmic... So, who wins the prices for the best Weiss-performances: definitely not Hopkinson Smith, but Robert Barto, Lutz Kirchhof and Konrad Junghänel. I'm sorry Hopkinson Smith, but You should stick to Ennemond Gaultier or Jacques de Gallot: those are the composers you can play best."

One of the best Weiss cds around.

Dirk Adriaensens | 09/14/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here we have an exceptional selection of works, the sonata in A minor, the sonata in G minor, the fantasy in C minor and the Tombeau sur la mort de Mr De Logy.The works are great, together with Smith's style when interpretating solo lute music.The sound is also fairly good. Only "disadvantage" is the speed in which the tombeau is played (I would prefer it a little faster)."