Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck – De Wereldlijke Werken

This is a marvelous release in every respect. First, a larger part of the vocal works on these albums have never been recorded before; second, performance and recording quality are impeccable; and last but not least, the booklet going with it contains the kind of typographical art belonging to expensive literary editions. I wonder how on earth the Glossa label could bring all this for such a ridiculously low price. What a fantastic project.

The booklet, then. It’s not a booklet, it’s a book, as you can see. The discs are encased in it. It’s a real hardcover with beautiful fonts. Saying this, I defined a problem: I can’t scan a brand new hardcover (Oct. ’08) without breaking its back. I won’t do that, I’m sorry. This copy is not my own. And although I know most library cds/booklets go down the drains anyway sooner or later, I refuse to be the one to initiate this inevitable process of damage. So, I made a tough decision: no book for you – nor for me either, sniff.
Well. I included some clumsy scan examples to show you what I mean by “not being able to scan it”. It would need a major fisheye correction feature to flatten the pages.
Fortunately, books have a front and back cover. Those I could scan.

This is one of a limited release of 2800 copies.

The series of Sweelinck’s complete vocal works, of which this release is the first part, will be continued with another 13 albums. These have not been recorded yet.

I’d almost forget to comment on the music. In one word, you’ll hear soon enough why Sweelinck is still considered the greatest Dutch composer ever. There’s some first-class polyphonic singing to be heard on these albums, matching Monteverdi, Palestrina, Allegri – and yes, Gesualdo.

- tracklists included in the archives.