This recording further justifies Jakob Lindberg’s position
as one of the leading lutenists of his generation. The lute, notorious
for producing extraneous noises and unwanted overtones is skilfully
tamed in his hands. Clear melodic lines, exact rhythms, together with
precise decorations and phrasing, are all part and parcel of his technique.
The repertoire is all taken from Swedish folk music,
the various pieces comprising polkas, waltzes and lullabies, (plus,
of course, a number with Swedish titles unfamiliar to me). These are
grouped together to form "suites" and although originally
they apparently had no such connections, they are related regionally
which makes for convenient programming.
Five of the seven suites begin with "preludes"
of Lindberg’s own making, using material from the original music. The
individual suites do have their own distinctive characters and Jakob
Lindberg substitutes his 13-course baroque lute for a 7-course soprano
lute for one of the suites and then a 5-course baroque guitar for another,
the subtle contrasts in timbre ringing the changes nicely.
The recorded sound on this disc is very good, a clear
improvement on earlier BIS recordings of the lute and the guitar, some
of which I felt were treated with too much reverb. Here the lute is
captured more faithfully, making the listening experience more enjoyable.
Andy Daly
Jakob Lindberg (lute and
guitar)