Restoration has made it the oldest playable lute in existence, yet there is no sign of age in its
beautiful rich tone, rather an unexpected clarity in its ancient resonance…..Listeners may be forgiven
for weeping at the sheer beauty of these re-awakened strings.
The Times (The Knowledge Magazine) April 8-14, 2006
This is a very special recording indeed. … It is, in fact, the most subtle, singing, sophisticated
lute we are ever likely to hear. …Lindberg is able to achieve what every lutenist aspires to but seldom
manages - a true, smooth, flowing legato, in which every strand of the music remains absolutely clear.
Weiss himself was famous for this type of ´cantabile´ playing, and Lindberg and the Rauwolf recapture
his singing style to particularly memorable effect in the ravishing G minor Sarabande. …In summary,
Lindberg and his lute are symbiotic partners in some of the most intensely personal music-making I´ve
ever been stopped in my tracks by. Too good to miss.
International Record Review, June 2006
…this touch of olde worlde magic, courtesy of Jakob Lindberg's recently
restored Rauwolf lute, held me spellbound.
Classic FM, June 2006
…è l´esecuzione di Lindberg, infatti, a lasciare senza fiato. Non é solo il suono dalla
bellezza incredibile e la bravura tecnica mostrata dall´esecutore a convincere, ma è anche la
ricchezza espressiva e la profonda introspezione can la quale il musico si mostra vero magister a
rendere questo CD eccezionale.
La Musica, June 2006
This all-Weiss recital from the incomparable Jakob Lindberg celebrates the completion of
the restoration of his c1590 Sixtus Rauwolf lute….. Lindberg´s slightly analytical approach
is nevertheless far from dry and perfectly suited to Weiss´s sometimes complex harmonies and
sophisticated approach to textures. Phrases and periods are shaped for maximum clarity - but with
due deference to expression. Recorded in the Länna Church in Sweden, the instrument's bright,
nasal qualities have also been captured to perfection. A fitting celebration indeed.
The Grammophone, July 2006
In 1988 I bought a very rare original lute at Sotheby's in London by Sixtus Rauwolf, a prolific luthier who lived and worked in Augsburg.
Only an handful of lutes have survived by him of which one is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and one in the Claudius Collection in Copenhagen.
My instrument is from c 1590 and was originally a 7 or 8 course
lute. Inside there is a repair label by Leonard Mausiel, dated Nuremberg 1715 and the present neck,
which allows for ten or eleven courses, is probably made by him. Dendochronology confirms that the
soundboard is original and dates it 1418-1560. This instrument is thus to my knowledge the oldest
lute in playing condition with its original soundboard.
