Nigel North's confrontation of the difficult problem of playing Bach's lute music (or, rather, that which is sometimes believed to be such) on the lute instead of merely talking about it, produced one of the finest recordings ever made on that instrument; it now has the benefit of the CD format, by way of convenience packaging rather than sound quality, since the LP has a very quiet surface. Like Bream (see page 66), North combines a scholarly approach with controlled freedom and warmth, though, unlike Bream, he does not hesitate to add a little embellishment here and there. I freely and warmly offer an unembellished recommendation of this disc to all lovers of Bach and of the lute.'