Long Awaited Lute Music by Melchior Newsidler
Arthur in Boston | Boston, MA USA | 12/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The appearance in November 2009 of Paul O'Dette's CD of music by Melchior Neusidler is exciting news. And long awaited. For about 15 years! Neusidler was very prolific (well over 200 works survive), and before committing to a CD, O'Dette wanted to know the entire output intimately. How many take such a thorough approach to repertory building? And the CD benefits because he was able to select a well balanced cross-section of the various genres in which Neusidler worked: ricercars and fantasias, German and Italian dances, arrangements of sacred and secular vocal music, etc.
Neusidler (ca. 1531-after 1590), son (not brother) of lutenist Hans Neusidler, is (in the opinion of many) the greatest of central European lutenist-composers of the Renaissance. His music is not easy and this accounts in part for his obscurity. Few players today have the chops to master it. He and his brother Conrad, also a lutenist, were doubtlessly trained by their father, who incorporated the teaching materials into his popular books, which contain much music that would appeal to youthful apprentice lutenists. They both later settled in Augsburg where Melchior headed his own consort "stille Musik," and became the favorite of the Fuggers, whose patronage is remembered with the "Fuggerin Tanz," recorded here.
This music often soars into the highest ranges of the lute, and employs, especially in the ricercars, technically complex contrapuntal textures. But O'Dette's virtuoso playing takes the music with apparent ease.
"
Hans Neusidler enter the world of classical music entusiasts
Declich Paolo | Rho Italy | 10/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The new CD by Paul O' Dette,
preminent american lutenist,
is dedicated to the music
by the mid-century German
lutenist Hans Neusidler.
A composer well known
by lute players, but
virtually unknown by
the general public of
classic music enthusiasts.
In fact, to the best of
my knowledge, this is
the first disc wholly
deidcated to this
composer
The choice of composer'
pieces seems to reflect
the obvious influence of
early italian Renaissance
lute music, and French
chansons: we see a number
of Fantasias, intabulations
of madrigals and French chansons,
with some dance movement.
Honour to Paul for the
composer choice, and
the [i]usual[/i] impeccable
technique.
A first impression
(the CD will be
sold in Italy probably
in November)
before a chalm
and reflective hearing
of this disc"
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1