Search - Julian Bream :: Julian Bream Plays Dowland & Bach

Two Early Albums from the Matchless Mr. Bream

David P. Gillett | New York | 07/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My qualifications to critique these, Bream's solo Dowland (lute) and first solo Bach (guitar) albums on the Westminster label, are limited: I torture a classical guitar for one hour each morning before work, and listen to classical music throughout the day. Bream playing the lute sounds much like Bream playing the guitar (he uses his nails), though of course the timbre of the lute is different. These mono recordings sound great; my teacher, who is world-class, rates the Chaconne the best he's ever heard. However, the Golden Age Singers, singing away-oh on the second half of the Dowland disc and the first half of the Bach disc, sound old fashioned to me, like Laurence Olivier as Richard III."

Some info about these recordings and some emendations

Discophage | France | 07/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For reasons that will soon be made clear I don't have this set, but here is some hopefully useful information for the potential buyer - and a few emendations to the info provided by the editorial note.



In fact, part of the material featured here HAS previously been reissued on CD: the solo lute recital (14 pieces) came on an MCA "Double Decker" in 1990 (JUlian Bream - Fret Works (2 CD Set) (MCA)), and this is what I have. There, it was paired with the Spanish recital that DG has also reissued (shorn of three short pieces) on Spanish Guitar Music.



If my (and MCA's) information is right, another mistake made by the editorial notes is in attributing the recording of that solo lute recital to 1954. According to MCA, it is 1957. In fact, the editorial review seems to have made a confusion with the rest of the Dowland program, which in a small part (CD 1 tracks 15-19) dates indeed from 1954.



So here are a few facts: this DG-Westminster reissue collates the contents of two Westminster LPs, XWN 18428 (Bach) and XWN 18429 (Dowland lute recital), plus excerpts from three (out of a series of four) more Westminster LPs devoted to Dowland's Ayres for Four Voices, performed by the Golden Age Singers conducted by one of them, Margaret Field-Hyde, and accompanied by Bream. As mentioned, CD 1 tracks 15-19 were on volume 1, XWN 18711, which is the one that was recorded in 1954. Tracks 20-26 came on volume 2, XWN 18761, and those on CD 2 were on volume 4, 18763, recorded circa 1958.



Anyway, this set is obviously the one to favor over the earlier MCA release mainly if you are interested in the Bach recital (which has here its first CD reissue). Where I've been able to check the transfers of these DG-Westminster are also better than the ones from MCA Double Decker, although the particular Bream recital was especially fine. As for the Dowland Ayres, there is something frustrating for the collector and completist in getting a reissue only of excerpts (20 out of a total of 60 on the original LPs). Truth is, I do not know for sure that Bream accompanied all these Ayres, so maybe DG selected only the ones that he did. And I am more than ready to trust the previous reviewer and his comments on the singing style.

"

Blood, sweat & tears

Jonathan M. Stone | Annapolis, MD | 03/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The playing of many professional classical guitarists leaves me cold. Where they flawlessly execute a score, Bream has spaciously conceived the music using something it seems is in short supply- a disciplined imagination. Each note, instead of sounding like part of an automatic process, sounds conceived and executed deliberately. Bream attended conservatory, where he was told not to bring his "gypsy instrument". He had to practice in the boiler room. I have always fancied one could hear the kind of strength of character implied by that anecdote in his playing.

I have never heard any other lutenist even come close to the crispness, definition and especially the variations of tone and attack Bream employs.

A minor caveat- Dowland's four part ayres come off pretty weak on this recording. It was made in the early 60's, I believe, and for some reason performers of early music back then thought that a quavery, mashed-potatoes-in-your mouth approach was what was called for. Buy this anyway, for the 14 great Dowland tracks & the Bach (played on guitar not lute)."