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Not Just Dowland Songs for soprano and lute by Dowland, Rosseter, Johnson, Grandi et al. Wigmore Hall live recording. Carolyn Sampson : soprano Matthew Wadsworth : lute, theorbo |
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Together [Sampson & Wadsworth] weave a superb tapestry of little-known 17th-century vocal music. – Album of the Week, The IndependentNot a syllable lost in terms of clarity or potency, whether in the dark drama of Robert Johnson or the sensuality of Caccini’s Amarilli mi bella in this imaginative survey of 16th- and 17th-century song. Wadsworth’s acute sense of phrase and colour is spellbinding. – Recording of the forthnight, Classical Music Magazine |
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The Knight of the Lute Solo recital with music from John Downland’s Varitie of lute lessons of 1610 Matthew Wadsworth : lute CCSSA 25408 |
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Masters of the lute Solo recital disc with works by John Dowland, Robert Johnson, Allesandro Piccinini, Giovanni Kapsberger et al. Matthew Wadsworth : lute, theorbo CCSSA 24206 |
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This is Matthew Wadsworth’s finest release to date… a gem of an album, which exudes intelligence, sensitivity and sheer class… A richly painted recital that really shouldn’t be missed. – Gramophone, Editors Choice |
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When Laura Smiles Songs and lute solos by Thomas Rosseter. James Glichrist : tenor Matthew Wadsworth : lute AV 2074 |
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It’s hard to believe that this is the first album devoted exclusively to the music of Philip Rosseter, lutenist to the court of James I and one-time manager of the Children of the Queen’s Revels. Rosseter’s discographic neglect is all the more surprising given the sheer quality of his lute solos and songs, performed here with great subtlety and expressive nuance by Matthew Wadsworth and James Gilchrist. Wadsworth’s intensely focused playing flows direct from the heart. Recommended. – Andrew Stewart, Classic FM Magazine |
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Away Delights Lute songs and solos from Shakespeare’s England by Robert Johnson. Carolyn Sampson : soprano Matthew Wadsworth : lute AV 2053 |
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A beautifully crafted programme and restrained, crystalline performances… Carolyn Sampson’s voice is flexible and sensuous, her legato line never spoiled by, although still subordinated to, the poetry’s metrical exigencies, resulting in a gentle declamatory style. And the expressive rhetoric of Johnson’s solo music is thoroughly explored by Wadsworth – the pavans and almains which punctuate the recital are transformed by stylish, insightful playing into beautiful meditations. Here are lost loves, madness and death. A beautiful pall over your evening’s listening. – William Yeoman, Gramophone, 2005 |
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14 Silver Strings Music by Kapsberger and Piccinini Matthew Wadsworth : theorbo Gary Cooper : harpsichord, organ Mark Levy : viola da gamba, lirone, violone Deux Elles DXL 1044 |
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A ringing endorsement of the beauty of the theorbo in a distinguished recital… Wadsworth has an imperious command of some impressive solo material… he glories in the fleeting mysteries of these works, allowing the notes to speak with unequivocal conviction. – Editor’s choice, Gramaphone Magazine |