Alfred
Deller (counter-tenor)
Desmond Dupré (lute) Recorded
Abbey Road Studio 3, 20th April 1953
Issued as HMV C.4236
Duration 4'53"
Play
30s sample:
Alfred
Dellar
(1912-1979) was a 20th century pioneer in the rediscovery of authentic
counter-tenor perfomance of early music. Virtually self-trained, with
the guidance of Michael Tippett, this came as something of a shock, or
perhaps ultimately a pleasant surprise to listeners in the 1950's. In
a review of earlier recordings of Purcell in 1952, we find the following:
"This is one of the most remarkable records
in the HMV catalogue... At a first hearing, the listener may feel disconcerted
by the strange quality of the tone; but if he listens attentively...he
can hardly fail to be impressed by the subtlety of Deller's phrasing and
enunciation."
This
recording of Dowland's beautiful Elizabethan song is simply fabulous,
and rightly earned a rare two-star top rating - "Excellent
performance and recording" - in the 1956 edition of The Record Guide.
