DOWLAND : Lachrimae or Seven Teares (The Parley of Instruments) (1993) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Listeners who can get through the first seven tracks of this disc without breaking down in tears will be relieved to know that the remaining 17 tracks are for the most part more cheerful. The first seven tracks are devoted to Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares, by John Dowland, one of the saddest pieces by one of the saddest composers of all time, while the other tracks, all except one of which were written by the English Renaissance composer, are generally lighter, with a few conspicuous exceptions. The performances are all first-class, if perhaps a little lean. The Lachrimae sound, to paraphrase John Donne, like the quintessence of absence, darkness, death, and things which are not. With dark, hooded tone (using A=440Hz); intonation that is tight to the point of strain; and extraordinarily intense interpretations, the Parley of Instruments directed by Peter Holman delivers accounts that make for difficult but rewarding listening. The rest of the music here -- galliards and almands with a pavan tossed in -- is brighter and bouncier, except for Sir Henry Umpton's Funerall and what is probably Dowland's darkest piece, Semper Dowland, semper dolens (Always Dowland, always doleful). Recorded in detailed but slightly distant sound, this disc should do the trick for melancholic listeners. by James Leonard  

JOHN DOWLAND (1563-1626)

LACHRIMAE
of Seven Tears (1604)

THE PARLEY OF INSTRUMENTS
Ensemble – The Parley Of Instruments Renaissance Violin Consort
Lute – Paul O'Dette
Viola – Lisa Cochrane, Paul Denley
Violin [Bass Violin] – Mark Caudle
Violin, Executive-Producer – Judy Tarling
Violin, Viola – Theresa Caudle

Directed By – Peter Holman