Ars longa: old and new music for theorbo

Kenny, Elizabeth

CKD 603

Ars longa see theorbo specialist Elizabeth Kenny perform a typically inventive recital of diverse repertoire spanning five centuries. • The theorbo’s eccentric appearance and tuning belies its expressive and delicate qualities; its versatility extends to beautiful melodies, experimental harmonies and a wonderfully resonant bass. • The recital takes the listener from the early avant-garde repertoire for the instrument of Kapsperger and Piccinini to the new and imaginative sounds explored by today’s composers. • Taken from his 2011 work Since it was the day of Preparation … James MacMillan’s motet is a haunting and melancholy piece in which the theorbo acts as an emblem of human fragility and sadness. • Benjamin Oliver wrote Extending from the inside specifically for Kenny, who relishes the unique challenge of combining elements of funk guitar with Baroque tradition in this premiere recording. • The second premiere recording is Nico Muhly’s Berceuse, also inspired by Kenny; it exploits the unconventional tuning system and expressive possibilities of the theorbo to powerful effect.

CD

Muzyka klasyczna

Linn

03-06-2019

0691062060325

BBC Music Magazine: 5/5 performance 5/5 recording (2019)

BBC Radio Scotland:'Classics Unwrapped' - Album of the Week (November, 2019)

MusicWeb International: 'Recording of the Year' (2019)