Let me say right away, that this is a quite stunning record. It isn't just that the repertory is far-removed from that of the harp's romantic territory—and, to the best of my recollection, of a kind last explored (more conservatively and on a modern instrument) in an entire disc by Zabaleta (Archiv) over 20 years ago, nor that it is played on two pedal-less early harps, it's the spirit with and in which it is executed. Though the earliest of this music was not written specifically for it, the harp was a viable, even commonly taken, option, not least in the Mudarra Fantasia, which raises an interesting point. Its eponym, the harpist Ludovico, is believed to have produced falsas (chromatic 'wrong notes') by pressing a finger against a string to shorten its sounding length—King uses instead a type of double harp that was known at that time—and this device is still used by folk harpists in South America. Other techniques may also have been taken over the Atlantic by the conquistadores and, though lost from view in Spain, preserved in South America; tremolo and on-the-box percussion, both used by King, are two of these.
Together with this early music goes a freedom to extemporize, which King grasps with patent enthusiasm, particularly in his own divisions on the Spagnoletta and Spanish Pavan, and in divers tasty trimmings elsewhere. Milan was one of the first composers to give specific directions on how to perform a piece of music (1536) and King follows them in the most natural-sounding way. Much of this music has no other recording—and none of it on the harp, and King plays it with rare strength, sensitivity and the conviction of one who is also inventing it at the same time—and is delighted by his own trouvailles. The instruments have a magnificent sound and are beautifully recorded. Many harp recordings come close to 'wallpaper' music by which to dream; if you can doze off before this one ends you should consult your doctor. Treat yourself to it, even if it means pawning something you can live without.'