Why Not Here - Music for Two Lyra Viols: T.Ford, J.Jenkins, J.Danyel, A.Ferrabosco II, etc (2001/1/1)

Why Not Here is not the title of this disc, although from a casual glance it might look like it is so. The device "Why Not Here" is actually the name of the duo formed by gambists Hille Perl and Friederike Heumann; they are joined on many pieces by lutenists Lee Santana and Michael Freimuth, and the latter pair have several pieces to themselves. The "lyra viol" is not a special instrument like a viola da braccio, but refers to a specific way to playing the viol, as an instrument capable of harmony and melody rather than melody only, or used in a purely basso context. This set of pieces reflects the usual fare that Perl and Heumann employ in their concert appearances in Europe. While weighted toward Thomas Ford, a key English exponent of lyra viol playing during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, the stated purpose of this disc is to "celebrate and overcome melancholy…to change the chemistry in your brain by putting music into it rather than other drugs." Perl contributes an engaging and highly personal album note, which wanders into topics far from music, but is a refreshing change from the usual blah blah blah about the composer. The disc provides a responsible canvassing of the requisite literature, covering in addition to Ford the work of several of his English contemporaries and that of the younger Alfonso Ferrabosco. However, the repertoire is not the main event here so much as building an asylum of Renaissance melancholy into which post-modern, twenty first century types can escape. In this sense, Why Not Here's recording is extremely successful in a way it might not have been had it been exclusively devoted to Ford or otherwise had taken its musicological mission with a more rigorous tack; maintaining a consistent sense of mood is the key organizing principal. The playing throughout, from all four musicians, is tight, scrupulously careful, artistic, and personable, and the recording will make it feel as if Why Not Here is playing right in your living room.