Reviews: Faire, Sweet & Cruell, Elizabethan Songs

The recording was made in Sweden in I 983 by Grammofon. Although no text is included with the recording, the English of the Swedish singer is exemplary. A printed text would still have been appreciated, however. The singer and the lutenist have a marvelous grasp of the rhythmic complexities of this music. She sings them with practiced ease that gives the performance authority and intense beauty. Included are works by Ford, Campion, Danyel, Dowland, and Pilkington, with the anonymous "Greensleeves." The selection of material is outstanding, the singing delightful, and the performance one that should bring as much joy and sor­row in our century as it did in the era of its composition.