Search - Tylman Susato, Thomas Morley, Giovanni Priuli :: Two Renaissance Dance Bands; Monteverdi's Contemporaries

A must-have re-release of a classic!

D. Colburn | Waukesha, WI | 09/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first 21 cuts on this CD are a re-release of the album 'Pleasures of the Court'. This was one of the first albums in this genre which showed that music of this period was really alive, not merely 'quaint'. The rest of the pieces on this CD are equally marvelous. David Munrow really began a revolution in the interpretation of renaissance music, and one wonders what he would have done had he not taken his own life at such a young age."

Definitive, energetic and fresh account of C16th rock n roll

D. Colburn | 09/15/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply one of the best dance compilations ever released - a definitive, fresh and energetic account of the first flowering of dance ensembles in C15-16th Europe. Still exciting nearly 20 years after its original release and a poignant reminder of the lost genius of English early music supremo David Munrow; the album was released shortly before his untimely death. Many recent collections have tried to tap into the fashion for early music but this one remains in a league of its own by virtue of the sheer energy and rhythmic drive of its performances - moving, too, in its (fewer) quiet moments. A sadly neglected "must-have"."

Evocative music of the Tudor and Jacobean royal courts

D. Colburn | 06/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recommended. I first bought it on cassette in about 1978, and was delighted to re-discover it recently on CD. Evokes images of the Tudor and Jacobean royal courts. Remember this music if you should ever go to Hampton Court, or stand on Richmond Hill and look down "the matchless vale of Thames". Buy it while you can."