Rolf Lislevand - Diminuito (2009/2017) [Hi-Res]

On “Nuove Musiche”, his highly successful ECM debut released in spring 2006, Norwegian master lutenist led his own group of international early music virtuosi. The album presented ravishing and most unorthodox accounts of mostly Italian instrumental music from the early Baroque. Based on Italian Renaissance sources from the 16th century – madrigals, chansons and virtuoso lute music – the new programme goes even further back – from the “seconda pratica” of monophonic expressiveness to the “prima pratica” of polyphonic complexity.

Once again putting a strong emphasis on improvisation, Lislevand and his colleagues disclose the astounding modernity and emotional wealth in the music of composers such as Giovanni Antonio Terzi or Joan Ambrosio Dalza. Most of the music stems from the Veneto region of Italy where, at that period, strong influences of oriental and eastern music could be felt. Lislevand’s group translates this with a lush scoring for deep instruments, both stringed and plucked. The album title “Diminuito” refers to the praxis of virtuosic ornamentation of vocal lines, the “diminution” of larger rhythmic and harmonic units in most agile runs, scales and arpeggi. The album was recorded in St. Gerold with line-up including the delightful sopranos of Anna Maria Friman and Linn Andrea Fuglesth.

“To my way of thinking, reconstructions are fairly boring. Do we really want to pretend that nothing happened in music between 1550 and today? I think that would be intellectually dishonest. And the notion that people did not deal freely with their feelings until today is not only naive but arrogant.” (Rolf Lislevand)

“Lislevand and his colleagues manage to create music that sings and is full of grace, feeling and lyricism...these fine performances - fresh, animated, elegant and virtuosic without being flashy - are utterly persuasive.” (BBC Music Magazine)

“everything's done with such evident awareness of the style of the period, not to mention panache, that it's nearly always possible to suspend disbelief...One has the impression of musicians...who may actually have experienced jazz from the inside, rather than slapping it on modishly...And the playing's simply superb.” (Gramophone)

Rolf Lislevand, lutes, vihuela de mano
Linn Andrea Fuglseth, voice
Anna Maria Friman, voice
Giovanna Pessi, triple harp
Marco Ambrosini, nyckelharpa
Thor-Harald Johnsen, chitarra battente, vihuela de mano, lutes
Michael Behringer, clavichord, organ
Bjørn Kjellemyr, colascione
David Mayoral, percussion

Recorded October 2007 and May 2008 Propstei St. Gerold
Tonmeister: Markus Heiland
Produced by Manfred Eicher