Distracted Tymes

The repertory for viol consort of the Stuart age in England consists of fantasias and miscellaneous pieces whose dense, continuous polyphony conveys a sonic and social ideal of Concord and harmony. It also expresses the confusion of a period of disorder and anxiety ('distracted tymes') traversed by political, religious and philosophical upheavals that heralded the end of an era. This program from the Ricercar Consort and Philippe Pierlot offers resonances for our own times, with their transformations and uncertainties.