Universal / Philips 461 943-2     

MARTINA WOLTHAT, BASLER ZEITUNG, 24. APRIL 2002

"In the second half of the 16 th century, the lute had become the most popular instrument - at least "among those you can carry with you" as Englishman John Dowland stated more precisely. Already in his lifetime, Dowland's scores for the luth were arranged for other instruments. They were quite wide-spread all over Europe. Therefore, it was quite possible that a Spaniard saw these scores and played them on guitar. These were the traces Basel guitarist Christoph Denoth followed in his impressive CD Mister Dowland's Midnight with its perfect sound. Denoth sensitively adapts Dowland's pieces to the guitar while retaining the distinctive character of the music. The intonation is rich in nuances, while his playing generates space and depth. [.]"

 

PAR/ VON ANTONIN SCHERRER, REVEIL CULTUREL 2003

[...] John Dowland's music, interpreted by Swiss guitarist Christoph Denoth on his new album released by Philips, recalls this paradox in many respects. From Melancholy Gaillard to What If A Day you will find everything and nothing, much like in the English musician's life: always see-sawing between cheerfulness and melancholic world-weariness. Strange and yet beguiling. As a student and disciple of the great Pepe Romero, Christoph Denoth unfolds such a rich panoply of emotions here that his decision to interpret Dowland on the guitar lends him instant credibility. Of course, the result ranges far from the sound of the lute, for which the pieces were originally written. At the same time, it is quite well-known after all that they were transcribed even in Dowland's own times - for cembalo, viola da gamba, or above all for instrumental ensembles - and that such a "modification" of contemporary works for a different instrumentation used to be much more frequent then than today and was valued accordingly. This is how the Basel guitarist approached this programme that, essentially, is based on the Cambridge and Oxford manuscripts. An interpretation that, even though it remains per definitionem true to its origins, casts a new light on Dowland's oeuvre and this on the one hand because of the purity of the classical guitar and on the other one because of the artist's personal touch who, inspired by the score, gives free rein to his imagination in a number of variations. Indeed, you never tire to (re)discover mysterious music such as that."