Lute News 124, December 2017

Les Accords Nouveaux IV: Esaias Reusner, Sigrun Richter, lute,Ambitus Amb 96 970

For the fourth volume in her exploration of Accords Nouveaux Sigrun Richter has moved fully into the baroque era with a CD devoted to the music of Esaias Reusner. Much of his music can be found in the two publications featured on this recording, Delitiae Testudinis (1667) (reissued twice under the title Erfreuliche Lauten-Lust) and Neue Lauten-Früchte (1676).

The music is refined and elegant, with rhythmic complexity augmented by subtle ornamentation and inegalité, as prescribed in Reusner's introductions to each book. Her playing is tuneful and stylish, with a sweet treble and warm bass, but it can also express darkness, as in the first movement of the A minor suite. She handles the rhythmic challenges and piquant discords with panache and successfully brings out the different character of each suite, which makes for a varied and engaging recital. Two fine lutes by Nico van der Waals are featured, one very resonant and used for all but the D minor suite, the other darker and more veiled, presumably strung appropriately for the tuning. This is a most welcome release that features much music that is rarely, if ever, heard.
John Reeve

ZEITSCHRIFT “IL FRONIMO”
Giorgio Ferraris über die CDs LES ACCORDS NOUVEAUX III und IV:

Richter affronta il repertorio di questi dischi con la sicurezza della veterana, ehe si puo permettere ogni raffinatezza stilistica, permeata sempre da bon gout, con agrements palesi e nascosti, scritti o improvvisati: son file, son enjle, jlattement, coule, tour de gosier, chute, accent, tremblement (feint, subit, appuye, double), inegalites, diminutions, rubato, arpegement .... Il suono, molto bello ed espressivo, e ben supportato dagli strumenti impiegati: due "undici ordini" di Nico van der Waals, uno del 1992 e uno del 1993. Per chi non lo conoscesse, solo un cenno sul liutaio: con un'esperienza cinquantennale, l'abilita suprema nell'uso del legno e una sensibilita musicale raffinatissima, e riconosciuto come uno dei massimi liutai viventi. Anche a lui si deve la fondazione del Castello del Liuto, un'istituzione culturale sempre piu importante.

Giorgio Ferraris