Palladian Ensemble - Held By The Ears - Matteis, Nicola
Held By The Ears
"flaming as I have seen him, in a good humour he hath held the company by the ears...for more than an hour together, that there was scarce a whisper in the room" - Roger North on Nicola Matteis
"Another engaging Palladians disc in which their infectious enthusiasm and creativity are understandably fired by Matteis." (Gramophone)
"The Palladian Ensemble discovered the work of 18th century Italian composer Nicola Matteis by chance some ten years ago and by their own admission it continues to surprise them. While some of his music they describe as "tedious doggerel" the quartet have also found moments of "sheer magic", and happily it's the latter that appear on Held By The Ears.
There if undoubtedly a folk flavour to Matteis' work and the ensemble highlight the point by cleverly juxtaposing it with popular Scottish tunes from the same period. The result is a refreshingly different and sprightly set full of energy and humour, which blows the cobwebs away from the usual presentation of early music." (The Observer, 2000)
A highly enjoyable collection of works by Matteis complemented by some traditional gems.
Produced by Philip Hobbs
Recorded on 19-21 October 1999 and 12 February 2000 at St. Michael's Church, Highgate
Engineered by Philip Hobbs
Post-production by Julia Thomas at Finesplice