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Perennial Themes
A winter programme from Passamezzo,
heard by EMMA TRISTRAM
With this programme, To Shorten Winter's Sadness [Boxgrove Priory, Sussex, UK, 30 December 2012], Passamezzo and Tamsin Lewis have woven together a wonderful, deeply researched collection of music and readings from the 'early modern' period in England, on the theme of the time from Advent to Candlemas.
A 'Passamezzo' was a popular sixteenth-century chord progression, over which could fit a large number of tunes and variations; hence it is a good name for this group who brilliantly adapt their material to suit players and occasions. As well as adding players, here fitting several solo tunes for an ensemble of five, they know how to reduce numbers to reach the still heart of music, as in Alison Kinder's bass viol solo, variations by Tamsin on the tune In the fields of frost and snow...
Copyright © 7 January 2013
Emma Tristram,
Sussex UK
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