I have a weakness for the viol consort, and a great appreciation
for Phantasm’s recordings, especially their wonderful
disc of Purcell’s Fantasies for Viols released on Simax
in 1996. This group has a coherence and cohesiveness in everything
they play that gives a clear, homogenous sound. Leader Laurence
Dreyfus makes excellent choices in both music and performance,
leading to beautiful recordings, and this disc is no exception.
The marketing blurb informs us that this is “the first
complete collection of William Byrd's consort music, including
new hymn settings that are première recordings.”
Indeed, while Fretwork released a “Complete Consort Music”
disc in 2001, this current recording has four tracks more than
the Fretwork album.
Textual research aside, what we have here is more than 79 minutes
of William Byrd’s immensely attractive consort music for
viols. The works are scored for 3 to 6 instruments, and feature
the lovely sound of Byrd’s music, with textures that make
life so much more attractive. While the viol consort in many
ways prefigures the string quartet, there is more of a resolved
sound than that of the quartet, where instruments generally
play more individual lines. Sometimes in Byrd’s music
there is subtle counterpoint among the players, but the viols
lend themselves to more of a unified sound. Byrd’s music
is inventive and refined, and reflects the type of music he
composed for choirs. Listening to his viol music, you can almost
imagine how voices would sound singing the same music.
The order of the works on this disc is well selected, and the
music varies in the number of instruments for the different
pieces - not all the three-part works are together. Paying attention
to the number of instruments can be interesting, as even the
three-part pieces have a density that can surprise; these are
nothing like later string trios.
It’s hard to latch on to melodies in this type of music,
as it is a constantly changing tapestry of counterpoint, but
with repeated listens, one discovers the subtlety of Byrd’s
music for viol consort. The performances here are excellent,
and the recording as good as possible for a viol consort. In
fact, this disc benefits greatly from hearing on headphones,
which allows the listener better to distinguish the individual
lines.
I strongly commend this recording to anyone who likes the sound
of the viol consort, Byrd’s music, early music, or any
kind of music. It is one of the finest recordings I’ve
heard so far this year, and one of the best recordings of a
viol consort I have heard. The music, the performers, and the
excellent sound make this a pleasure to listen to again and
again.
Kirk McElhearn
Writes about more than just music on his blog Kirkville
Phantasm 
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