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.com The mellow German lutenist Lutz Kirchhof advises listeners not to turn the volume up too high on his latest Sony solo disc. The delicate lute tone charmed 16th- and 17th-century listeners by its simple acoustic beauty. The gentle plucked notes could affect the mood, altering one's emotional state. Kirchhof suggests that such potential made music invaluable to witches and alchemists, who were held in high regard in the irrational centuries before the Age of Enlightenment. This theory enables Kirchhof to make an eclectic selection of 30 short pieces covering 200 years and four different lutes--renaissance lute, vihuela, baroque lute, and theorbo. He does not claim that any of the items were actually put to any alchemical or satanic use, but he does not need to. The Presto and Galanterie by S. L. Weiss speak for themselves. Dufaut's Suite in A minor might not otherwise have reached the public; Hagen's Sonata in C minor would have remained obscure; and Holborne's The Fairy Round Galliard waited in vain for the revival of alchemy as a science. An eccentric disc all-round. --Rick Jones
M**I
Beautiful, Stately Music By A Master
Sorry folks, but the title of this CD might be a bit misleading. You will not hear Halloween sound effects, or "A Night on Bald Mountain" Disney-style. Instead you will be treated to meditative music based on the theories of Ficino, Agrippa, and others. Kirchof does us all a favor by fleshing out what has previously been locked away in archives and rare publications and allowing us to hear each composition as it was originally meant to be heard. A good book to buy with this CD would be D.P. Walker's classic Spiritual and Demonic [as in Socrates' daemon, not the kind from the uh-oh place] Magic (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000). This music is meant to heal and not to hurt; meant to uplift and enlighten the mind and not to drown it in darkness. And besides all that folks, it's just plain pleasant to drink wine and eat cheese to. In addition, Lute Music For Witches and Alchemists has great liner notes that give the low-down on each Hermetic ditty. M & M it's not, thank Plato, Plotinus. Ficino, and the stars!
T**H
Ahah! I found you, my precious!!
I am sorry that the 11-year-old child found this sad music!!That is truly within the realm of Herr/Herra Parent to educate the child that there is quite a universe of music that is out there.The reason I call this 'My Precious', is that I had lost a lot in Hurricane Katrina, including my music library, which i am still slowly rebuilding, thank the Goddess!!I owned this CD when it became released, and found it to be a collection of music that is most suited for comtemplative study, note-taking, journalling, writing memoirs with tea/coffee/mead/or aperitif. For me, it is also good music to use when busy scripting in my book-of-shadows, or rhyming wordings to be used later for some good works, by tensor light if not by candle.As one who has self-taught guitar and medieval instruments, i appreciate the talent behind, and the hard work to play this collection.I will place this among my 'workings' collection, once i receive it ... although not quick enough!
R**H
All the romance and charm of early Europe.
Yes I'm weird to look for, buy and listen to such recondite music. I can't help but love Lute music and the romance and charm of those early centuries in Europe. When you spin this disc, light a candle, pour some wine and take yourself (and maybe a friend) out of this hectic world and back into a time when a lutenist or guitarist was the orchestra for a kings court. You will be the ONLY guest at the table who can wax poetically about 15th century Italian lute music...unless I'm seated next to you!
R**E
Beautiful and relaxing
A most lovely program of Renaissance lute music, much of it by lesser known composers. Very relaxing. Only demerit would be for the silly title and awkward attempts to link the music with witches and alchemists, but all that nonsense can be easily ignored. To be enjoyed.
C**K
Beautiful Lute Music!
I love this lute music! Some of it is peaceful, and some of it is cheerful. I was concerned the music would be too mysterious or "weird", but it is one of the most pleasant CDs I own. I listen to it often. Witches and alchemists were the healers ages ago. The music definitely heals my soul.
K**N
Love it but I do not understand the title!
I love lute music and early music in general. This is a great recording for mood music if you enjoy early music. The only reason for the title that I can figure is that some of the titles refer to fairies. I was indeed looking for "witchy" music when I bought this.
L**Z
Beautifully chosen and performed
This is a lovely album of lute music. I find the premise and the liner notes a little silly, but the album is really stellar.I have a lot of albums of music of this period, including many albums of solo lute music, and this one is a real stand-out, both for the choice of material and for the performance. Don't let the liner notes put you off.
C**T
Unexpected Pleasure!
Really wasn't sure what to expect with this one...I'm not really a Witch OR an Alchemist, but it certainly put me under it's spell. Really turned out to be a Gem! This is one you can listen to over and over and just enjoy it.
H**E
Five Stars
Good relaxing music.
B**N
Lautenmusik zum Genießen
Weshalb gibt es immer wieder so krummblöde Rezensionen, die von ihrem Sujet keine Ahnung haben. Eine empfehlenswerte CD mit variantenreicher, u. a. aus England stammender Lautenmusik auf hohem Niveau. Gespielt wird auf der Renaissancelaute, der Barocklaute, der Theorbe und auf der Vihuela. Dem Lautenisten hört man die Leidenschaft an, die sich unweigerlich auf den Hörer überträgt. Sanft und doch kraftvoll gespielt. Auch das im Booklet vorgestellte kulturhistorische Konzept dieser Aufnahme weiß zu überzeugen.
P**S
Great repertoire
Nicely played, this album features classics of the Renaissance period. A very good introduction to the Renaissance lute repertoire with all it's traditional dances and fantasias.
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