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2 CD
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€ 25.95
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| Label Signum Classics |
UPC 0635212045329 |
Catalogue number SIGCD 453 |
Release date 07 July 2017 |
During his journey to circumnavigate the globe Sir Francis Drake took four violin players with him, who played both for his devotions and to the native peoples around the world that they encountered.
Fretwork have commissioned British composer Orlando Gough to recreate this remarkable journey in sound, in a work for viol consort that combines music from 16th century England with the ‘sounds’ that these musicians would have heard and perhaps tried to recreate on their journey – from the rebab and the gamelan to the mesmerising chanting of the Native Americans. The result is a musical narrative of one of the most significant achievements of the English golden age and an evocation of the earliest musical encounters between east and west.
This premiere recording is interspersed with narration from The World Encompassed, one of the first literary accounts of the journey, read by Simon Callow.
Een avontuurlijke muzikale reis rond de wereld
Op zijn reis zeilend rond de aarde nam Sir Francis Drake vier gambaspelers mee. Ze begeleidden zijn gebeden en speelden ook voor de inheemse volken die ze overal ter wereld ontmoetten.
Het ensemble Fretwork gaf de Britse componist Orlando Gough opdracht om deze opmerkelijke reis op muziek te zetten voor hun gamba gezelschap. De vraag aan Gough was om de muziek uit het 16e-eeuwse Engeland te combineren met de klanken die Drakes musici tijdens hun reis gehoord moeten hebben en die ze wellicht zelf in hun muziek probeerden na te doen. Klanken van de rebab (een oud tweesnarig strijkinstrument) en de gamelan tot aan het hypnotiserende gezang van de Indianen. Het resultaat is een muzikale vertelling van een van de opvallendste prestaties uit de Engelse Gouden eeuw en een beeldende weergave van de vroegste muzikale ontmoetingen tussen Oost en West.
Verteller Simon Callow onderbreekt deze premièreopname af en toe met teksten uit The World Encompassed, een van de eerste literaire beschrijvingen van de reis.
"Fretwork is het mooiste gamba ensemble op deze planeet", vindt Stephen Pettitt van The London Evening Standard. Weinig andere gezelschappen kunnen de reikwijdte van hun repertoire, dat varieert van de eerste gedrukte muziek uit 1501 in Venetië tot de muziek van dit album, behappen. Hun opnamen van Johann Sebastian Bach kregen buitengewoon veel waardering, maar ze hebben ook muziek van Grieg, Debussy, Sjostakovitsj, Warlock en Britten opgenomen. Sinds hun oprichting in 1985 brengt hun uitgebreide repertoire hen over de hele wereld. De constante hoge kwaliteit van het ensemble, zorgt ervoor dat oude en nieuwe muziek weerklank vindt bij publiek, dat onbekend was met de inspirerende klankwereld van de viola da gamba.
"Fretwork is the finest viol consort on the planet" - Stephen Pettitt, The London Evening Standard.
In 2026, Fretwork celebrates its 40th anniversary. In these last decades, they have explored the core repertory of great English consort music from Taverner to Purcell, made classic recordings against which others are judged, and commissioned an entirely new repertory of music for viols.
The list of composers they have encouraged to create new works is like the role call of the most prominent writers of our time: George Benjamin, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Gavin Bryars, Elvis Costello, Alexander Goehr, John Woolrich, Orlando Gough, Sally Beamish, Tan Dun, Barry Guy, Thea Musgrave, John Paul Jones, Nico Muhly, Sir James MacMillan and many others.
They have expanded their repertory to include music from over 500 years, from the first printed consort music in Venice in 1501 to music written this year. And, in between, everything that can be played on a consort of viols - Byrd & Schubert, Purcell & Shostakovitch, Gibbons & Britten, Dowland & Grieg.
Recently they have performed in the Lammermuir Festival, in Wigmore Hall with Tenebrae, and in the Malling Festival. They also visit North America again, including concerts at Carnegie Hall with Iestyn Davies. In 2025 they commemorate the sudden and untimely death of Orlando Gibbons, and celebrate the 90th year of Arvo Pärt with concerts and recordings.
While they used to fly all over the globe, they have now committed to reducing their carbon footprint by travelling in Europe only by train or electric cars - recently, they have toured Germany, France, Spain, Austria & Slovenia in their two Teslas.
The future sees many exciting projects based on the thrilling juxtaposition of old and new; making the experience of old music new and bringing the sensibilities of past ages to bear on contemporary music.
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