John Dowland: Behold A Wonder Here [CD]

John Dowland's Songs and Ayres are among the most important song collections of the European Renaissance. They combine a distinctive musical language with an extraordinary poetic expressiveness: intimate love songs, profound melancholy, subtle humor and moments of unexpected lightness unfold into a richly varied panorama of human emotion.400 years after Dowland's death, the Lautten Compagney Berlin turns to this unique universe in a carefully curated selection drawn from his five songbooks presented on their new album Behold a wonder here. Iconic works such as Flow my tears, Come again, Time stands still and the title piece Behold a wonder here are placed alongside less frequently heard songs, revealing the remarkable breadth and depth of Dowland's art.The richly colored ensemble - vocal consort, Renaissance lute, theorbo, Renaissance guitar, cittern, orpharion, viol consort as well as organ and harpsichord - creates a multi-layered sonic world in which every nuance of the music becomes audible. With their distinctive sense of timbre, clarity of text and stylistic precision, the Lautten Compagney Berlin brings these masterpieces to life with freshness, elegance and expressive power.Behold a wonder here presents John Dowland as a composer of timeless modernity, whose songs continue to move listeners through their emotional depth, melodic beauty and immediate expressive force. This recording reveals the richness of the English Renaissance in all it's colors.