John Dowland - The First Booke of Songes (Berit Norbakken; Solmund Nystabakk)

Information

Composer: John Dowland

1. Unquiet thoughts
2. Who ever thinks or hopes of love
3. My Thoughts are wingd with hopes
4. If my complaints could passions move
5. Can she excuse my wrongs
6. Now, O now I needs must part
7. Deare if you change
8. Burst forth my teares
9. Go Cristall teares
10. Thinkst thou then by thy faining
11. Come away, come sweet love
12. Rest a while you cruell cares
13. Sleepe wayward thoughts
14. All ye whom love or fortune hath betraide
15. Wilt thou unkind thus reave me
16. Would my conceit
17. Come again: sweet love doth now envite
18. His golden locks
19. Awake sweet love thou art returnd
20. Come heavy sleepe
21. Awaie with these selfe loving lads

Berit Norbakken, soprano

Solmund Nystabakk, lute

Date: 2026

Label: LAWO Classics

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John Dowland: The First Booke of Songes features soprano Berit Norbakken and lutenist Solmund Nystabakk delivering a fresh, expressive interpretation of the influential 1597 collection. As a cornerstone of the English lute-song tradition, the repertoire spans vast emotional terrain from luminous tenderness to deep melancholy. Rather than treating these pieces as historical artifacts, the duo utilizes natural phrasing, stylistic insight, and historical informedness to emphasize the music's rhetorical nuance and harmonic sophistication. The resulting performance balances intimacy with refinement, offering a compelling contemporary statement that highlights the enduring legacy, poetic detail, and timeless communicative power of Dowland’s writing.

Soprano Berit Norbakken and lutenist Solmund Nystabakk are prominent Norwegian artists recognized for their technical finesse, expressive nuance, and deep engagement with historical performance practice. Norbakken is celebrated for her tonal clarity and stylistic versatility, which spans from early music to contemporary repertoire in performances across Europe. Similarly, Nystabakk is a distinguished soloist and chamber musician acclaimed for his elegant, thoughtful interpretations of music from the Renaissance to the early Classical period. Collaborating closely, both artists blend refined musicianship with emotional immediacy, making significant contributions to the European early music scene through major festival appearances and acclaimed concert works.

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