VAN DEN HOVE: Florida, Pavanas, Fantasias and Dances for lute (Utrecht, 1601) [CD de audio] Massimo Marchese and Van den Hove

Joachim van den Hove was a prolific music composer and arranger who lived in the Republic of the Netherlands during a particularly culturally vibrant period of the 17th century. At this time the lute flourished, thanks to its versatility, with a repertoire ranging from dance suites to variations on popular melodies. Although England was a center of lute music, the Netherlands also experienced its own golden age of the lute. This era was marked by a series of publications of lute manuscripts, including three by van den Hove, some set to his own music and others composed by various composers. The Florida manuscript, dated 1601, contains a variety of pieces typical of the period. Although most are anonymous, close analysis of the music has revealed that most were composed or arranged by van den Hove himself. The great variety of the compositions attests to the wide range of influences present in the Republic of the Netherlands at that time: from Italian pavans, almandes from Germany and passemezzos from France, England and Italy throughout the Netherlands, van den Hove sees found himself at the center of a flowering of European lute music. The collection is therefore highly international, although this edition concludes with a series of popular tunes from Holland: the Flemish composers' tribute to their adoptive father. Experienced performer Massimo Marchese is well equipped to address the wide range of the Florida manuscript. He has already recorded for Brilliant Classics , having released two albums of Robert de Visée music with Manuel Staropoli and others (BC94154 and BC94437), where his theorbo toccata was highlighted as charming by the online music magazine Musicweb. His career as a lutist has seen him collaborate with several early music ensembles, including the Dodekachordon Orchestra of Lutes, conducted by Jakob Lindberg. This is the first recording of music selected exclusively from the Florida manuscript, a document that pays tribute to the surprising amount of lute activity in the golden age of the Dutch Republic.