This seems to be the first recording devoted entirely to the music of Albert de Rippe (c. 1480-1551), an Italian composer and lutenist who was born in Mantua. He was appointed to the court of Francis I after moving to France in 1528. Most of his music was only published posthumously by his pupil Guillaume de Morlaye. One has to keep in mind that instrumental music was rare in the 16th century since most of the music at the time was strictly written for voices, so lutenists had to be very creative and Albert de Rippe was considered one of the most innovative for his time. Paul O'Dette points out in the booklet notes that while most of his contemporaries wrote in three-part counterpoint, de Rippe often used five and six-note chords to imitate the sound of a choir. And I've noticed that his counterpoint, as in the Fantasie VIII , is quite impressive and surely places high technical demands on the player. At times he even employs a technique wherein a single-note melody is simultaneously laid out over a series of strummed chords, a technique highly used by 20th century folk singers.

As always, Paul O'Dette's playing is always clear and expressive, highlighting the linear flow of the main line at all times. For this recording he uses a 1984 Paul Thomson 6-course lute after Magno Tieffenbrucker (c. 1550), a 1988 4-course Renaissance guitar by Larry Brown and a 2015 4-course Renaissance guitar by Andy Rutherford. The audio recording is well lit but also spacious, which serves very well the dynamic effects of pieces like L'eccho (Dieu qui conduis) and the odd harmonic twists of the Galliarde that follows. Nothing quite makes you travel 500 years back in time like the sound of the lute. Recommended!