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Track(s) taken from CDA67549

Giunta vaga biltà

composer
ballata; Squarcialupi Codex; early fifteenth century
author of text

Catherine Bott (soprano), Pavlo Beznosiuk (fiddle), Mark Levy (fiddle)
Recording details: April 2001
Angel Studios, Islington, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Catherine Bott & Stephen Henderson
Engineered by Steve Price & Mat Bartram
Release date: January 2006
Total duration: 2 minutes 35 seconds

Cover artwork: The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. Frederick William Burton (1816-1900)
The National Gallery of Ireland
 

Other recordings available for download

Margaret Philpot (alto), Imogen Barford (medieval harp)

Reviews

‘The vivid ambience of the recordings, the quality of the chosen compositions, the incisive, animated, full-toned precision of the fiddle playing and performances by Bott make for 62 minutes of pure pleasure … these performances must rank amongst Bott's best (and that's saying something)’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Delectable is just about the right word for this sequence of pieces sung by Catherine Bott, with and without the fiddles of Pavlo Beznosiuk and Mark Levy. … the simplicity and spontaneity of the pared-down and often improvisatory approach enormously enhances the emotional impact of the music, and brings the listener extraordinarily close to the characters whose deepest feelings are being voiced’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘The outstanding CD of the month’ (Early Music Review)

‘This is some of the most elegant singing I have heard and certainly some of the best fiddle playing now available … it is an excellent single-disc anthology of medieval song’ (American Record Guide)

‘In every respect this CD is an utter delight. The music is charming, the performances infectious, the recording is simply outstanding and the booklet complete with full texts and translations into modern English, is a real pleasure to read … this disc is a source of unreserved pleasure’ (International Record Review)

‘A sublime survey of music and textual conceits from a remote yet immediately communicative past … soprano and string players wear their classical training lightly, catching the folk flavour of this beguiling repertoire’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘We had to wait five years for its release. Believe me, it was worth the wait. Hear this haunting music’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Charmingly and effectively done, it is well worth hearing’ (Scotland on Sunday)
The mix of transparency and subtlety in Landini’s Giunta vaga biltá draws you in right from the start. This too is a courtly love lyric, but more positive, more confident—true Italianate appreciation of a beautiful woman. The only sadness behind it lies in the knowledge that Francesco Landini was himself blind.

from notes by Catherine Bott © 2006

D’emblée, Guinta vaga biltá de Landini vous séduit par son mélange de transparence et de subtilité. C’est aussi une chanson d’amour courtois, mais plus positive, plus confiante—un véritable jaugeage italianisant d’une belle femme. La seule tristesse vient de ce que nous savons que Francesco Landini était aveugle.

extrait des notes rédigées par Catherine Bott © 2006
Français: Hypérion

Die Mischung von Klarheit und Feinsinnigkeit in Landinis Giunta vaga biltá fasziniert von Anfang an. Auch dies ist ein Text der Minne, doch ist er positiver, selbstbewusster—wahrhaft italienische Bewunderung einer schönen Frau. Das einzig Traurige daran ist das Wissen darum, dass Francesco Landini selbst blind war.

aus dem Begleittext von Catherine Bott © 2006
Deutsch: Anne Steeb/Bernd Müller

Other albums featuring this work

The Garden of Zephirus
CDH55289
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