A melancholic happening
A performance built around music and texts by John Dowland, lutenist and composer of the renaissance. The starting point of the project is John Dowlands "seven passionate pavans" from the Lachrimae collection for five viols and lute. The themes of the pavans are different forms of tears. The seven pieces form a cycle where Lachrimae Gementis" (sighing tears) and "Lachrimae Tristes" (sorrowful tears) transforms to "Lachrimae Amantis" (lovers tears) and ends with "Lachrimae Verae" (true tears).
The strictness of the pavans is contrasted with a contemporary reading of texts with close connection to the viol music. Between the pavans Annette Taranto, voice, Sven Åberg, lutes, and Anders Åstrand, percussion perform structured improvisations over song texts that Dowland has set to music like for exampel "In darkness let me dwell" and "Come heavy sleep".
Each improvisation is sent off in a specific direction according to the nature of the text especially regarding the aspects of sorrow that could serve as a complement to Dowlands compositions. After each improvisation the listener is once again taken into the world of polyphony in which the pavans follow their own logic. The concert takes around one hour.
Lachrimae has been performed at Forum and Konstnärshuset in Stockholm and at the 2nd Viola da gamba festival in Linköping. Next performance will be in the St Thomas church, Västerås 3/11 at 18.00.
Annette Taranto
voice
Anders Åstrand
percussion
Sven Åberg
lutes, idea and artistic direction
Stockholm Consort of Viols:
Keren Bruce
Louise Agnani
Nora Roll
Angela Johansson
Christer Furberg
Press photos