Orlando Gibbons - Two In Nomines in 5 parts
Thomas Lupo - Fantasia No. 1 in 5 parts; Fantasia No. 29 in 5 parts
Gibbons - Two Fantasies in 3 parts; Fantasy for ye great dooble bass No. 1
Lupo - Fantasia for three basses; Fantasia for three trebles; Fantasia No. 27 in 5 parts
Gibbons - Two Fantasies for two treble viols; Two Fantasies in 3 parts; Fantasy for ye great dooble bass No. 2; In Nomine in 4 parts; In Nomine in 5 parts, The Cries of London

'The fantasias by Lupo are a fine discovery indeed; brought to such life as they are here by Fretwork' - Gramophone

Thomas Lupo was still a teenager when he joined the court violin consort in 1588, serving the young Prince Henry and then his brother Charles I, one of England's most discerning patrons of music. He remained in post till his death in 1627 and his intimate and highly varied music for viols encapsulates the golden years of Jacobean England. The five- and six-part fantasies are his most impressive work, harking back to his Italian roots, with some rising to the sublime, exalted standard of his friend and colleague Orlando Gibbons.

Over 35 years, Fretwork have performed the core repertory of great English consort music and have recorded over 70 albums. Committed also to new music, they have commissioned nearly 50 new works by composers including George Benjamin, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Gavin Bryars and Thea Musgrave. Major projects have included a John Dowland tour in 2014 with tenor Ian Bostridge, a substantial USA tour in 2016; and Musick’s Monument, a series of Wigmore Hall concerts in 2019 presenting the greatest English consort music from the Golden Age from Taverner to Purcell.

'Fretwork is the finest viol consort on the planet'
- Stephen Pettitt, The London Evening Standard

Richard Boothby, Emilia Benjamin, Joanna Levine, Sam Stadlen & Jonathan Rees, viols