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4.5
Bright and early
Hopkinson Smith, lute
Naïve Classiques, 2023
Hour-long solo lute album bright & early is a grounding experience. As the title suggests, its positive and peaceful tone is perfect for starting the day on a motivating note.
The album interweaves works by 16th-century composers Joan Ambrosio Dalza and Francesco Spinacino, which require a good deal of interpretation on lutenist Hopkinson Smith’s part, given the incomplete or disfigured conditions of their original manuscripts. They’re pieces that share a gentle throughline, but their free-form nature gives the lutenist plenty of opportunities to portray that tone in his own image.
The musician flows effortlessly through these melodies. He creates a level of intimacy by using the proximity of the microphone to pick up quiet string noises. Combined with the history of the chosen instrument, as well as the optimistic direction of the album, it feels like Smith is a tavern-bound storyteller. The performance feels like it draws the attention of the room while never overwhelming listeners. There is a touch too much reverb that makes some notes drown each other out, but this detracts minimally from the otherwise beautiful music on the album.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
