Lachrimae

British lutenist Nigel North joins viol consort Les Voix humaines for Lachrimae, a new recording of John Dowland’s 1604 compositions set for lute and viols. Passionate pavans, galiards, and almands evoke the tears referred to in the title. Replete with many musical effects, dissonances and suspensions, the same melancholic subjects reappear throughout Dowland’s compositions: the agonies of the soul, night, and darkness. This “tear” motif first appeared in the pavan Lachrimae for lute and served as the basis for seven “passionate” pavans in the 1604 collection recorded on this new album.