Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from CDH55241

Awake, sweet love, thou art returned

composer
1597; The First Booke of Songs or Ayres
author of text

James Bowman (countertenor), David Miller (lute)
Recording details: February 1990
Tudeley Church, Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom
Produced by Robert King & Ben Turner
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: March 1991
Total duration: 2 minutes 39 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

Ian Partridge (tenor), Jakob Lindberg (lute)
Grace Davidson (soprano), David Miller (lute)

Reviews

‘James Bowman’s usual ease of tone is in full evidence here. He gives us meltingly sweet, gorgeous, resonant high notes, and fluidity of vocal line. Meanwhile, David Miller’s lute playing is sensitive and agile. Whether pleading for God’s redemption or wooing a lover, both singer and lutenist capture the word painting which is such a feature and strength of these songs. This is one to savour’ (bbc.co.uk)
Awake, sweet love is one last galliard song, with a melody as lovely as Dowland ever wrote. The words seem convoluted; the person singing seems to change during the song; this is part of the Renaissance genre of the dialogue between the lover and Love; the word ‘returned’ in the first line has the sense of requited or reciprocated.

from notes by Christopher Goodwin © 2018

Other albums featuring this work

Dowland & Campion: It fell on a summer's day
CDH88011Download only
Dowland: First Booke of Songs or Ayres
Studio Master: SIGCD553Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...