Grace Davidson’s pure, crisp soprano voice has made her an invaluable part of the UK’s choral scene. Here she uses it to great effect in John Dowland’s songs, accompanied by master lutenist David Miller. Dowland’s First Booke of Songes or Ayres was hugely popular in 17th-century England and beyond; no other composer had come close to his brilliance with harmony, rhythm, and counterpoint—and his skill with word-setting. Davidson and Miller bring a fresh innocence to this music, the passionate “Now, Oh Now I Needs Must Part” all the more powerful for its subtle expressiveness. The resigned “Come, Heavy Sleep” is performed with stunning simplicity while “Can She Excuse My Wrongs with Virtue’s Cloak?” has a beautiful rhythmic nuance.
- In Dulci Jubilo, Alberto Turco, Nova Schola Gregoriana, Jeremy Summerly, Oxford Camerata, Tonus Peregrinus, Antony Pitts, Michael Posch, Unicorn Ensemble, Oni Wytars Ensemble, Bernhard Landauer, Capilla Flamenca, Shirley Rumsey, Scholars Of London, Convivium Musicum Gothenburgense, Rose Consort of Viols, Christine Morel, Claude Goudimel Ensemble, Steven Rickards, Dorothy Linell, Sven Berger, Ensemble Villanella, Ars Nova & Bo Holten
- Paul Hillier & Theatre of Voices
- VOCES8 & Les Inventions
- The Tallis Scholars & Peter Phillips
- Orlando Consort, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Paul Hillier
- Daniel Hope, Philip Dukes, Robert Plane & Sophia Rahman
- Monika Mauch & Nigel North