Search - O'Dette, North, Holloway :: Ancient Airs & Dances

The lute and its various relatives were the mainstay of Renaissance music-making, and this recording offers not just a bunch of lute pieces but the original 16th-and 17th-century Italian and French works on which Respighi based his famous 20th-century orchestral composition Suites of Ancient Airs and Dances. Lute virtuoso Paul O'Dette performs solo and also is joined on several tracks by violin, bass lute, and bass viol--and occasionally by tenor Rogers Covey-Crump. Is there a soul so jaded as not to be made happy on hearing music such as this? From jaunty, jumping dances to gentle airs, these pieces offer a refuge from the frantic pace and electronic bombardment so prevalent in today's music environment. If you know Respighi's suites, you'll recognize these tunes; if you don't know the later work, it's fun to listen to it after hearing these pieces in their original form. --David Vernier