With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Renaissance Music With A Serious Groove
Listen
4:40
Hear Tom Manoff's Review Of 'Diminuito'
On his new album, Diminuito, Rolf Lislevand and his lute spin the traditions of the Italian Renaissance in surprisingly fresh directions. He and his group of musicians sound, at times, more like a jazz combo than an early-music ensemble.
Diminuito, the title of a new CD from Rolf Lislevand , refers to a Renaissance practice of embellishing a melody through improvisation. Much as a jazz group might do today, Renaissance musicians improvised tunes familiar to audiences of the time. With this new CD, Lislevand and his group have created a recording that sounds both old and new.
Improvisation combines musical thinking with musical imagination. When both meet on equal ground, as they do on this recording, the result is powerful and poetic.
Sponsored message
Rarely do I encounter a CD on which each successive track becomes a favorite. But not only does every piece on the album instantly strike the ear as compelling; each also becomes part of a longer journey. There's a sense of narrative here, a sense of storytelling, if only in the imagination.
If you think of lutes as producing only delicate plucked tones, you'll be surprised by their forceful sound in this ensemble, which also includes other stringed instruments, a small pipe organ and an array of exotic percussion. David Mayoral is the extraordinary percussionist in Lislevand's ensemble, and his tasteful, energetic rhythms provide the backbone of the sound.
The acoustics of Diminuito swirl in contrasting timbres and lush harmonics. Occasionally, singers join the ensemble, floating above the instruments — an ethereal effect that lends a sense of timelessness to the music. Although based in the Renaissance, Diminuito can be hard to place. It's classical music, certainly, but influenced also by folk and world music traditions heard today.
Additionally, the musicians use modern recording technology to create the album's rich, layered sound. Lislevand and his musicians play with a true pancultural sensibility, drawing upon musical energies around them. While these influences may deprive the album of some historical authenticity, they speak to a deeper authenticity: a creative process responsible only to pure imagination.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
