Fretwork continue their stately progress through the English consort repertory with this polished recital of music by William Lawes. As usual, Fretwork's ensemble playing sets high standards of precision and elegance, and fittingly so—this music was composed for the discerning Charles I, on whom neither virtuosity of the divisions nor the subtle weighting of the often piquant harmonies would have been lost.
The serenity and expansiveness of Lawes's Sunrise Fantazy in the F major Consort Sett gently ease the listener into the idiom. Here, and again in the C minor Sett, the sweetness of the treble viol playing charms the ear with what seem like reminiscences of Dowland's Lachrimae, while in the Divisions in G minor for two basses and the Airs for three lyra viols the bass instruments are made to mimic uncannily the organ's reedy breath. But plaudits need not be restricted to the outer voices, for Lawes provides, especially in the second Aire of the C minor Sett, lively and demanding inner parts. Fretwork display their sure judgement over tempo and their range of articulation in the F major Sett. They are equally adept at capturing the folksy wit in the ''Humour'' for lyra viols and the penitence of the C minor Sett's first Fantazia (''I am weary of my groaning'').
Immaculately played and sensitively recorded, this CD cannot fail to please. Though the oc- casional patch of dissonance and virtuosity make the music impossible to ignore, it generally makes quite modest demands on the listener and in the end is most of all music for the delectation of the players. But you may eavesdrop with delight!'