This recording is deeply satisfying on so many levels. It goes without saying that playing Weiss' music this well is the dream of most students of early music, but I bought this CD to hear this particular lute. The selection of the pieces, the respectful interpretation and Jakob Lindberg's masterful playing allow this 400 year old lute to reach out and speak with power, subtlety and grace. There is nothing tentative about the playing, no holding back for fear of damaging a delicate "antique", (apparently the oldest playable lute still in possession of its original soundboard) The diapasons are deep and warm, the trebles clear and sure of themselves. There are no traces of muddiness, no jarring timbre shifts going from low to high. It is bright and open without sounding glassy or fragile (Not a single inadvertent twang, even in the Musette). The decay and the sustain are perfectly balanced. (The choice of strings seems just perfect). This is a mature performance on a beautifully matured instrument. It's akin to letting your teeth sink gently into a perfectly ripened peach and finding the taste even sweeter than you had anticipated. 1991年，我从伦敦索斯比拍卖行买到了一把极其罕见的鲁特琴。制作标签表明该乐器的制作家是Sixtus Rauwolf，这是一位历史上相当高产的制作家，他住在奥格斯堡（在慕尼黑附近）。目前除我手中的乐器，只有3把该制作家制作的鲁特琴还幸存于世，一把收藏在美国纽约大都会美术馆，一把在丹麦哥本哈根音乐历史博物馆，还有一把在英格兰一位私人收藏家手中。我的这把7品或8品的鲁特琴，完成于1590年。在琴身内部，还有一个维修标签，署名是Leonard Mausiel，纽伦堡，1715年。目前这把鲁特琴的琴颈可以上10到11品，估计是在维修时做的改动。鲁特琴已经被另外两位鲁特制作家Michael Lowe和Stephen Gottlieb，以及小提琴制作/维修家David Munro修整过。David为这把琴进行了大量的维修，包括裂纹的修复，音孔饰圈和油漆。通过检测木材的年龄，可以得知面板材料的年代大约为1423到1560年，这意味着制作面板的松树在那个年代就生长在阿尔卑斯山上的高海拔地带。我们无从得知树木被砍伐的时间，但是肯定不会晚于1560年。据我所知，这把鲁特琴是目前还可以演奏的且使用“原装”面板最为古老的一把琴。我们要使用一些木材来补充面板下面那些缺失的16世纪的音梁。为此我们使用了佛罗伦萨Palazzo Pitti图书馆的旧木头。在该图书馆修缮时，吉他制作家Andrea Tacchi购买了这些年代久远的木材，我非常感激他能够将如此珍稀的木材提供给我，使得琴的修复工作得以完成。 为了庆贺Rauwolf鲁特琴的再生，我决定录制这张西尔维乌斯·利奥波德·魏斯的鲁特琴作品集。 ——Jakob Lindberg