After having heard the guitarist Francesco Corbetta (1615-81), who was then in the service of Charles II, Samuel Pepys noted in his diary that “he played most admirably - so well that I was mightily troubled that all that pains should have been taken upon so bad an instrument”. Yet Pepys eventually succumbed to the lure of “so bad an instrument” - as had most of England by that time.

On their latest recording, La Ghirlanda Mosicale select some of the most characteristic and varied of Corbetta's compositions from each of his five published collections. From the first book of 1639, where the battuto (strummed) style predominates, to La guitarre royalle of 1671, dedicated to Charles II and perhaps containing Corbetta's finest and most sophisticated music (the fifth and last book is dedicated to Louis XIV but largely reverts to the battuto style in deference to the tastes of courtly amateurs), the listener can sample instrumental works and songs for one, two or three voices accompanied by guitar, archlute and theorbo.

Performances are outstanding throughout: Anna Simboli's voice is attractive and affecting - she takes the lion's share of the singing - while a nice sense of drama is injected into the various solo passacaglias and chaconnes by Nastrucci and Pasotti through supplementing Corbetta's mixedbattuto-pizzicato style and ringing, overlapping scales (campanelas) with subtle changes in tempo and tone-colour. The ensemble playing is just as impressive, as is the recorded sound. I couldn't imagine a better tribute to this highly influential guitarist and composer.