This jolly disc is a fricassee of the lighter fare on offer at renaissance courts – those of England, France and the Hapsburg dominions of Spain and The Netherlands. Perhaps it’s fair to say that the sacred music of the period gets a wider billing than its secular counterpart, so that our impression of the time is overly serious as a result. Here, then, is a suitable corrective. I Fagiolini combine with the viol consort Concordia in a programme that ranges from the bumpkin romp of Hey trolly lolly lo to the more refined sentiments of Josquin and Gombert. Along the way we find Mateo de Flecha’s La bomba, which depicts the hapless crew of a near-shipwreck (with echoes of scenes from Rabelais’s Quart livre), and a variety of instrumental pieces. Some of these are original compositions, but others are of popular origin, or transcriptions of well-known songs: thus, the Pavana “La Gaiette” derives from Janequin’s Il estoit une fillette.
A number of these pieces have appeared in various anthologies in the past, but quite a few have not; and in any case they are hardly likely to elicit a more sympathetic presentation. The singers respond to gravity of tone with consummate ensemble, to comedy with well-timed improvisation, and to ribaldry with plenty of gusto. In this, Concordia prove capable and inspired accomplices. A second volume is promised: bring it on!'