Britten / Koim- Royal

“Royal… noble sound in a courtly context” is a short description of the music of the famous renaissance lutenist John Dowland, which is the focus of Stefan Koim’s second album. On the one hand, compositions by Dowland are presented; compositions that represent an impressive combination of heart, mind and intellect from the pen of a worldly musician of the 16th century. On the other side are the two important modern compositions by Benjamin Britten and Hans Werner Henze, which refer in their works to Dowland and the lute music of the Elizabethan era. Explicitly, this is done in Britten’s Nocturnal, a variation on John Dowland’s Air ‘Come Heavy Sleep,’ whose original form untypically appears only at the very end of the composition. Rather implicitly, the reference to Hans Werner Henze, who drew inspiration for his London-based cycle ‘Royal Winter Music’ in the works of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare is known to be a contemporary of Dowland. Unimaginable, therefore, that he did not also have Dowland’s lute music in his ear when writing his work for solo guitar.

Tracklist:

1. Fantasia, P. 73 (Performed On Guitar)
2. Fantasia, P. 71 (Performed On Guitar)
3. Fantasia, P. 1 (Performed On Guitar)
4. Nocturnal After John Dowland, Op. 70
5. Sir John Langton’s Pavan, P. 14 (Performed On Guitar)
6. Sir John Smith, His Almain, P. 47 (Performed On Guitar)
7. The Most High And Mighty Christianus The Fourth, King Of Denmark, His Galliard, P. 40 (Performed On Guitar)
8. Royal Winter Music, Guitar Sonata No. 2: I. Sir Andrew Aguecheek
9. Royal Winter Music, Guitar Sonata No. 2: II. Bottom’s Dream
10. Royal Winter Music, Guitar Sonata No. 2: III. Mad Lady Macbeth