Lute Music Vol 1

"Lindberg's slightly analytical approach is nevertheless far from dry, and perfectly suited to Weiss's sometimes complex harmonies and sophisticated approach to texture. Phrases and periods are shaped for maximum clarity – but with due deference to expression. Recorded in the Länna Church in Sweden, the instrument's bright, nasal qualities have also been captured to perfection. A fitting celebration indeed"
(Gramophone July 2006)

15 years ago lutenist Jakob Lindberg bought a very special instrument – one of the four extant lutes by Sixtus Rauwolf, built c. 1590. The restoration of the lute took several years and was rather painstaking: for some repairs they even used ancient wood from the library in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence! Considering the great age of the instrument it was nevertheless in good shape and is now probably the only one in the world that, retaining its original soundboard, is in playable condition. This unique feature Lindberg has wanted to celebrate by recording music suitable for the instrument. Once upon a time, probably in 1715, this lute was equipped with a new neck allowing for a greater number of courses. This makes it perfect for the lute works of Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750), famous among his contemporaries as the finest lutenist of his generation. (There is some reason to believe that Bach composed a couple of his works for solo lute after having met Weiss in 1739.) Weiss was also the most prolific of all lute composers: some 600 pieces have survived, which may amount to half of his entire production for the instrument. Most of the pieces on this disc are early works, grouped in suites – or Sonatas as Weiss himself termed them – by the composer himself or, in some cases, by Jakob Lindberg. Included are some of Weiss's best-known works, e.g. the Fantasie in C minor as well as one of his rare fugues for lute.