Mark Padmore is recognised as one of the greatest tenors of today. His versatility is impressive, and as described by Gramophone, “He is admired - among other things - for his extraordinary diction and whispering chamber-like intimacy … [his] joy in conveying the emotional core of each situation”. Hyperion’s new release of Dowland Lute Songs demonstrates Padmore’s clarity of voice beautifully. Sixteen of his many lute songs have been brought together, including some favourites – Come again! sweet love, Flow, my tears and In darkness let me dwell. Elizabeth Kenny accompanies Padmore on the lute. She matches Padmore’s phrasing and emphases, and together they create a magical world. These songs are interspersed with lute solos which comprise Fantasia no. 7, Sleep, wayward thoughts and Captain Digorie Piper’s Galliard. Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland separates the programme into two parts. The division works well, allowing the Britten to be closely referenced to the Dowland songs. Britten wrote the Nocturnal for Julian Bream in 1963. As a great admirer of Dowland, Britten appreciated his “dark sensibility”. Nocturnal after John Dowland is performed here by Craig Ogden who has captured Dowland’s atmosphere from the start. Flow, my tears, placed immediately after the Britten, is exquisitely tender. Padmore and Kenny have remained restrained throughout this recording – though by no means to its detriment; it serves to accentuate the bleakness of Dowland’s writing.

Reviewed by Ruth Squire