It is thanks to Vidal's foresight that today this precious manuscript survives, along with the sublime music it contains.
Paul O'Dette chose three composers to represent early Northern Italian lute output: along with Vidal's master (Vincenzo Capirola, dated around 1517), there is the music from the two earliest surviving printed lute tablature books - Francesco Spinacino and Joanambrosio Dalza (1508).
This early lute music is extremely diverse and fascinating, and O'Dette does it full justice in both piece-selection and interpretation. Dalza is best known for his bold dances, which show a strong influence of when the lute was played with a plectrum rather than picked with the fingers. Spinacino stands out for his fiery ricercari, with alternating fast single-note runs and brief counterpointal meditations. But it is Capirola and his vast tapestry of colors that gets the lion's share in this CD (dances, ricercari, vocal pieces set for lute).
Words cannot describe how expressive and varied this music is. Listen to tracks 4 (Ricercare primo), 7 (Padoana bellissima) and 8 (Spagna seconda) to get a sense of the confidence and the maturity that this style had achieved by the early 16th Century.
The lute was rigtfully considered the most versatile musical medium, second only to the human voice - and O'Dette's performance of this incredible music makes you understand why.
Even among O'Dette's excellent CD lineup, this selection stands out as an extraordinary achievement. by Tom Leoni
PAUL O'DETTE - Alla Venetiana:
Early Sixteenth Century Venetian Lute Music
O Púbis da Rosa
