LGS Newsletter (Lute & Early Guitar Society Japan) Nov.2011
For those lutenist working with singers and looking for attractive music to expand their repertoire, I can recommend this new edition.
Le Joueur du Luth, december 2011 (Société Française du Luth
Voici un nouveau receuil de 10 chansons contemporaines pour voix et luth renaissance à 6 choeure. Il s'ouvre sur 'Just For A Day', pièce aux accords agréables, sonores, faciles à jouer, légèrement dissonant qui altèrent avec de beaux arpèges résonnants. La mélodie, souple et riche en triolets, oeuvre un ambitus assez large. La seconde chanson exploite davantage le dialogue entre voix et luth, d'autres vont plus loin dans la dissonance ou la difficulté technique, il y en a donc pour tous les goûts ! Une de nos préférées est 'Time', dont la régularité des croches fait bien sûr penser au tic-tac d'une horloge. Les paroles, toutes simples, nous disent : Time is not made of minutes or seconds, hours and years: Time is made of missing you..
A découvrir sans laisser le temps passer, donc....
These pieces have beautiful names (Remembrance, Gift, Imagine, Aube, An April Evening, Pastorale, Lovely View,..) and all have in commun a certain poetry, delicacy and modesty probably due to the sobriety of writing in two voices. Sobriety but research and richness, because the composer skillfully exploits arpeggios,ostinatos, beautiful inner lines, and blends cleverly monody and polyphony.Some of the pieces are based onconsonant voicings. Others are more dissonant. Sometimes it is the rhythm that is predominant, but all pieces use remarkably the resonances of the lute.
This book can be very useful to develop techniques and can also serve as an introduction to the 21st century lute music repertoire..
l Lute, the Journal of the Italian Lute Society, May 2011
Each song is based on musicals ideas that will surely be appreciated by the young performers, especially those who don't consider their instruments being anchored to the historical repertoire.
Lauten-info 1/2011, (German Lute Society)
Much of Isbin’s music is immediately understandable. Some also quite catchy. These are interesting, accessible and thoroughly enjoyable
pieces. 'Flatulent melodies' never occur - this music has nothing to do with decomposition, but with creation.
LGS Newsletter (Lute & Early Guitar Society Japan)
The music is equally divided between two lutes and lots of rhythmic and mlodic interest; it's fun to play !
Marius Cruceru, Rumenian Lute Society
I recommended the books as very interesting pedagogic and performance material.
Arthur Ness : 'I've enjoyed your lute pieces. There really should be more modern music for our instrument.'( Arthur Ness)
Dick Hoban (President of the Lute Society of America) :'This is very interesting music.'
Denys Stephens,UK Lute Society UK : 'This is exciting and attractive lute music'