One of today’s foremost exponents of his instrument, Jakob Lindberg arrived at the lute by way of the guitar and played both for several years. When he decided to devote himself exclusively to the historic lute repertoire it was with some regret that he gave up his first love. During his last year with the modern guitar Lindberg was working on Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland, one of the seminal guitar works of the 20th century. Much later, when he learned that Britten had originally had in mind to compose a piece for the lute, he started to experiment playing sections of Nocturnal on his Renaissance lute, and soon decided to make a transcription of the complete work.

Nocturnal is based on John Dowland’s four-part song Come, Heavy Sleep, and inspired by this, Jakob Lindberg has placed it as the centre piece of a recital with mostly Elizabethan pieces, many of which also evoke aspects of the night. Dowland himself is represented by a selection of six lute solos, while the opening section consists of five pieces by Dowland’s older colleague Anthony Holborne. The closing track is by Holborne’s contemporary, John Johnson, and bids the listener Good Night and Good Rest.