"What you are hearing is NOT breathing. It's fret and string noise. It's very noticeable when you have a guitar, lute, or string solo.This CD is fascinating. It's very well done. When I heard it on my public classical station, I just had to order the real thing."
5-star music
11/08/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't get the 4-star ratings. I have the complete 5 volume set, and I'm overjoyed. The range of emotions, etc., etc., and the playing is fantastic. I hear Mr. O'Dette groan or moan or whatever sometimes, but it's a hundred times less disturbing than Glenn Gould's humming. If O'Dette has to utter a few sounds to play this well, so be it. Act now: buy all 5 volumes."
Reflective and open
NotATameLion | Michigan | 07/05/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As an early music fan I have walked with Paul O'Dette through his often faithful and always insightful recordings of John Dowland's complete lute works with great expectation and wonder. Dowland's repertoire was not a small one; and Mr. O'Dette deserves great credit for this massive undertaking. Volume one is a perfect example of all the things that characterize the rest of recordings in the series...It contains delightful songs (some standouts here are: "Mistris Whittes Thinge"; "A Dream"; and "Mr. Knight's Galliard"). All of songs are played masterfully by Mr. O'Dette. In fact, I would go so far as to say that what we have here are songs written by a master composer and in turn played by a musician who is a master of his craft.Dowland's music is great for "slipping into." It is the kind of music that is both reflective and open. This is great stuff for thinking, meditating, or for playing in the background during good conversation among friends. If you are a fan of Early Music, or someone who enjoys lovely, introspective music--this recording is for you. I recommend it highly."
Moving performance
S Harrison | Atlanta, GA | 03/31/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"One of the early music revival's real stars, Paul O'Dette crafts his true understanding of the emotional potency of Dowland and of the lute into this recording. This one strikes me as the standout of the series. Thankye, sir."
Would be four stars but terrible production lowers it
Brian Whistler | Forestville, CA United States | 04/29/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"When making a digital recording it is important to take into consideration not only the space it is being recorded in but also the undesirable ambient noise within (and outside) the space that may interfere with the recording environment. Sadly this is a problem with this recording. The performance is fine, even inspired at times. I enjoy Paul Odette's interpretations of Dowland-it is as supple and nuanced performance of this material as I have ever heard.
But the extraneous noise is unacceptable From the first fade up of the ventilation system I knew there was going to be a problem-but it gets worse. During the first couple of pieces there is the added annoyance of cars and perhaps a few trucks rumbling by. This settles down as things go along but it makes for a bumpy beginning. As far as breathing and string noise go, they don't bother me. This is part of a live performance by a human being and I don't see a problem with it. Even affected performances like those by Gould or Jarrett can be overlooked if the music is really happening. My objection is to the choice of venue-a church with a nice natural reverb is still not the right place if you can't turn the fans off or record late enough to avoid traffic noise. Too bad because otherwise this is a very good disc."