Clear of Cloudy. Lute Songs by John Dowland, Michaell Cavendish, Philip Rosseter, Anthony Holborne, Thomas Ford, Thomas Campion, Francis Pilkinton, Robert Johnson

England came late to the trend of Lute Song, but embraced it in a way that proved to be more fruitful and influential than in the rest of Europe. This was mainly due to the figure of John Dowland, one of the greatest song composers of any age and the main inspiration behind this recording. Although many lute-song masterpieces were created by Dowland’s contemporaries, none of these composers equals his level of originality, musical quality and sheer sublimity. We have included some pieces by some of the more accomplished composers (Francis Pilkington, Philip Rosseter, Michael Cavendish, Robert Jones, Thomas Campion and Robert Johnson) in order to offer a wider picture of the English lute-song as a genre.

Valeria Mignaco began her singing studies in Argentina and obtained her classical and baroque singing Masters degree at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Holland. Finalist of the International Baroque Singing Competition of the Chateau de Chimay 2004 and 2006 and the International Young Artists Presentation in Anvers (with ensemble Via Artis), she also received an Honorable Mention at the Soloists Competition of the Flemish Early Music Festival in Brugge 2005. Her duo with Alfonso Marín had a Special Mention at the Alte Musik Treff, Berlin 2005. She has perfomed as soloist with Bachkoor Holland and Concertgebouw Kamerorkest, Cappella Amsterdam, Monteverdikoor Utrecht, Orquesta de Cámara de Rosario and worked under the direction of Gabriel Garrido, Paul van Nevel, Paul McCreesh, Daniel Reuss, Charles de Wolff, Jan Willem de Vriend, Daan Admiraal and Cristián Hernández Larguía. She also collaborates with well-known vocal ensembles like Cappella Amsterdam, Huelgas ensemble and Deutsche Kammerchor.

Alfonso Marin began his musical studies in the Conservatorio Superior de Tenerife (Spain), and afterwards in the Conservatorium van Amsterda” were he continued his classical guitar and vihuela studies under the guidance of Lex Eisenhardt. From 1998 he devoted himself entirely to the study of early plucked instruments as the lute, theorbo and vihuela, continuing his studies in the same conservatory for five more years with the lutenist Fred Jacobs. After his graduation he carried on with an intense concert activity as a soloist, vocal and instrumental accompanist as well as basso-continuo theorbo and archlute player in many Dutch renaissance and baroque ensembles, orchestras and choirs like “Les Perruques de Amsterdam”, “Arion ensemble”, “The Royal wind consort”, “Nieuwe Opera Academie (DNOA), “Musica del Seicento” and»Amsterdam Symphonic Orchestra”. He is member and director of the renaissance ensemble El Parnaso Lirico with whom he has performed in Holland, Germany, France Belgium and Switzerland.