Nigel North - Baroque Lute (1991)

Tracklist

01. Sonata No. 29 in A Minor "L'infidèle": I. Entrée
02. Sonata No. 29 in A Minor "L'infidèle": II. Courante
03. Sonata No. 29 in A Minor "L'infidèle": III. Sarabande
04. Sonata No. 29 in A Minor "L'infidèle": IV. Menuet
05. Sonata No. 29 in A Minor "L'infidèle": V. Musette
06. Sonata No. 29 in A Minor "L'infidèle": VI. Paysanne
07. Prelude in C Major
08. Fantasia in C Major
09. Fugue in C Major
10. Concerto in F Major: I. Allegro (Arr. for Lute)
11. Concerto in F Major: II. Larghetto (Arr. for Lute)
12. Concerto in F Major: III. Allegro (Arr. for Lute)
13. Tombeau sur la mort de M. Comte de Logy
14. Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: Chaconne



Nigel North is considered the pre-eminent lute player of his generation and this debut recording has achieved benchmark status.

The programme opens with Weiss' 'L'infidèle' Sonata, the work which inspired North to play the D minor tuned eighteenth-century lute. Weiss was undoubtedly the greatest lutenist-composer of his time; and Tombeau sur la mort de M. Comte de Logy is perhaps his most well-known piece and has been widely performed. The Prelude, Fantasia and Fugue in C major pay tribute to Weiss' skill as an improviser and demonstrate a truly idiomatic lute style.

Transcription has long been a popular tool for both composers and performers; here both Bach and North contribute to an innovative reworking of what was originally a Vivaldi violin concerto. Bach's Chaconne in the lute's 'home' key of D minor adapts perfectly to the instrument; so successful was North's transcription that he went on to transcribe Bach's complete music for solo cello and violin.

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