Pavans and Fantasies from the Age of Dowland

John Dowland's Lachrimae Pavans is considered one of the greatest works in the canon of English chamber music. Based upon his famous song "Flow My Teares", the seven pavans - "Seaven Teares", as Dowland called them - present an extraordinary exploration of the contrapuntal and harmonic possibilities offered by the theme. In this remarkable recording, baroque violinist John Holloway creates a concert programme around the lachrimae Pavans. Threaded between Dowland's masterpieces are works of other major composers of his era - Henry Purcell, William Lawes, John Jenkins, Thomas Morley and Matthew Locke. In bringing together these works of strongly contrasting colour and character Holloway and company give us a vivid sense of the great flowering of consort music which took place in England in the 17th century.