To Dowland or Not to Dowland Mike Fentross

• John Dowland (1563 - 1626):
• 1 Prelude (1) 03:43
• 2 Fantasia (1) 06:14
• 3 In te Domine speravi 02:35
• 4 La batalla 06:45
• 5 Fantasia (2) 05:04
• 6 Fantasia (3) 02:10
• 7 Prelude (2) 03:15
• 8 Fantasia (4) 03:42
• 9 Fancy 04:20
• 10 Preludium (1) 02:55
• 11 Fantasia (5) 02:10
• 12 Fantasia (6) 02:58
• 13 Fantasia (7) 04:55
• 14 Susanne un jour 05:55
• 15 Preludium (2) 02:26
• 16 My Mrs Farewell 03:43
• Total Runtime 01:02:50

Info for To Dowland or Not to Dowland

The pieces, recorded here, form merely the tip of a fascinating iceberg. When medievist/archivist André Nieuwlaat initially shared his discoveries (much more Dowland lute music) with lutenist Mike Fentross two years ago, he realized immediately their importance. Every composer has his own musical signature. Trusting the experience that Mike Fentross has gained throughout his thirty-year career as a professional lute player, and as Professor of Lute at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague for the last 15 years, he started to make a selection from all the pieces in the pertinent manuscripts. He let himself be guided by musical intuition, by the essence of the pieces, and by constantly asking himself the question: do I recognize Dowland's hand in this? The overall quality of the pieces to choose from was very impressive, and the answer to this question was: ‘ Yes, I recognize Dowland in these works, without a shadow of a doubt’. His work pays off with this fascinating release.

Mike Fentross, Laute

Mike Fentross
first studied with Toyohiko Satoh at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, then with Nigel North and José Miguel Moreno.

He has built a solid reputation as a “continuist”, playing in renowned orchestras like Les Arts Florissants, and is much in demand in his country as well as abroad. He plays and records regularly with great European ensembles such as Capriccio Stravagante, Les Arts Florissants, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, the Harp Consort, the New London Consort and Al Ayre Espanol.

In 1991 he founded La Sfera Armoniosa, a group devoted to the performance of 17th-century music. Since 1996 Mike Fentross is guest professor at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.

Booklet for To Dowland or Not to Dowland