 Musicians of the Globe>Philip Pickett Music that "combines scholarship, education, and entertainment" is bound not to provide much of the latter to the typical Loud Bassoon staffer. Several of our writers harbor a long-standing prejudices against the renaissance faire scene, while other proudly dismiss any music written before 1800 as being purely for academics. Hell, some even hold the same view of music written before 2000. So "early music" is not the Loud Bassoon bag, as it is difficult to reconcile a deep love for Lou Donaldson and Donald Byrd with a sincere appreciation of motets and madrigals. That said, I picked this CD up mainly out of my interest in Shakespeare, and I can't honestly say I hate it. As an academic exercise it is fairly interesting, and as music it's solidly listenable. Unfortunately, given my ever-growing CD collection and diverging lines of musical interest, I'd have to say this is not the sort of CD I ever choose to put on, except maybe on a Sunday morning every eleven months or so. Philip Pickett, director of the New London Consort, conducts the small group of lutists, harspichord and virginal players, vocalists, et al, in a program of songs and dances from Shakespeare's plays. For fans of Shakespeare this CD will definitely hold some interest, although the target audience must certainly be grad students and self-proclaimed "fools." All the hits are here: "O Mistress Mine," "Full Fathom Five," "Robin," "Farewell, Dear Love," "Hark, Hark! The Lark." The music is as expected, very much in the Elizabethan spirit us twentysomethings can't get enough of. Lots of harpsichord, lute, and pre-Bach pop. All your fave-o early music composers make an appearance: William Byrd, Thomas Morley, John Dowland. As you probably expect, the result is pretty boring, though not without redeeming qualities. Not recommended for everyone, but worth a listen for pretentious idiots like myself who want an idea of what the songs in Shakespeare's plays actually sounded like. Having heard it, I still prefer my "Super Bowl Shuffle" version of the Friar's speech in "Romeo and Juliet" from freshman year in high school. Why don't they make CDs of that?
Review by Parson Browne |