In the late 16th C, lute songs were known as ‘Ayres’ with John Dowland’s form of writing establishing a fashion of both composition and performance which was to last for 25 years.

The popularity of rhetoric and a fashion for melancholy spilled over to Dowland’s writing and he became one of the greatest advocates for this style.

This disc is a wonderful collection of his melancholic works (difficult to achieve as the composer himself never made a ‘collection’ as such), performed here by the fantastic Fretwork ensemble with countertenor Dominque Visse singing.

Dominque began his career at the age of 11 as a chorister in the Cathedral of Notre Dame and went on to study with Alfred Deller. He has since performed with other greats including more recently René Jacobs, Nigel Rogers and William Christie.