 The Harp Consorts  Maxine Eilander (harp) Les Voix Humaines [Susie Napper & Margaret Little] (violas da gamba) Stephen Stubbs (theorbo, guitar) David Greenberg (baroque violin) ACD2 2372 • The eleven consorts by William Lawes “for the Harp, Bass Violl, Violin and Theorbo” are known collectively as “The Harp Consorts”. This creative collection of compositions, stands in a striking historical isolation with no exact precedent, and, through the catastrophic interruption of the English Civil War, no descendants whatsoever. That war not only ended the brilliant musical circle assembled at the court of Charles the First for which these works were conceived, it also ended the lives of Charles and of Lawes himself, at the siege of Chester in 1645. • This is the first complete recording of Lawes' Harp Consorts. It is the specificity of the instrumentation and the inventive and idiomatic writing for each, combined with Lawes' intensely personal, expressive and quirky musical language that make the collection a unique treasure. • Maxine Eilander was born in Holland, grew up in South Africa, and now lives in Seattle. She plays on a range of early harps: the Italian arpa doppla, the Spanish cross-strung harp, the German 'Davidsharfe', the Welsh triple harp, and the single action pedal harp. Eilander has appeared as a soloist with many ensembles including Teatro Lirico, Tragicomedia, Tafelmusik, The Toronto Consort, The Sixteen, and Seattle Baroque. She is managing director and teaches harp at the Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera. • Les Voix humaines regulars Susie Napper and Margaret Little are joined for this recording by American lutenist Stephen Stubbs and American-born Canadian violinist David Greenberg. After a thirty-year career in Europe, Stephen Stubbs recently returned to his native Seattle to establish his new opera company, Pacific Operaworks. David Greenberg taught himself folk fiddle tunes by ear as a young child growing up in Maryland. He spent the 1990s performing and recording with Tafelmusik while developing a specialty in Scottish baroque-folk music, and has recorded several CDs in this genre, including the groundbreaking Bach meets Cape Breton. • Recorded by ATMA founder Johanne Goyette at the church of Saint-Augustin de Mirabel (Québec) in December 2002 and April 2006.
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