Ward, John - Consort Music For Five and Six Viols - Phantasm

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Finalist Early Music Album of the Year - Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2010

BBC Music Choice - Chamber - BBC Music Magazine

"The results on this disc are stunning..." (Gramophone, Julie Anne Sadie, 2009)

"Linn has been recording classical music for some time now and has several house artists. The label is also good at discovering new and worthy soloists and ensembles. One of the latter is Phantasm, an award-winning consort of viols. The viol was a precursor to the violin, and consorts were immensely popular back in the 16th and early 17th centuries. The instrument was available in treble, tenor, and bass models, so a quartet of players could cover a large range, just like the more modern string quartet. Phantasm's players are Laurence Dreyfus and Wendy Gillespie (treble viol), Jonathan Manson (tenor viol), and Markku Luoajan-Mikkola (bass viol). Frequent guests of the consort are Emilia Benjamin (tenor viol) and Mikko Perkola (bass viol). On their most recent recording for Linn, they play the entire consort music compositions of John Ward (1571-1638). ...I found this recording to have rich and resonant sound with plenty of liveliness and detail. The surround use is minimal; it merely enhances the front channels by providing an aural definition of the recording space. The overall sound is intimate, and it effectively transports the listener back to another age" (Sound Stage.com, Rad Bennett, 2009)

Phantasm's debut recording on Linn Records explores the music of the Jacobean composer John Ward.

Produced by Philip Hobbs

Recorded at Wadham College Chapel, Oxford on the 15th~18th March 2009
Engineered by Philip Hobbs
Post production by Julia Thomas at Finesplice
Cover painting: 'Hearing', 1617 (oil on panel) by Jan Brueghel, the Elder (1568-1625)
- Prado, Madrid, Spain / Giraudon / The Bridgeman Art Library
Design by John Haxby
Photos of Phantasm by Hanya Chlala