"If one were seeking to characterize the Zeitgeist of the past two years in a single word, one could do worse than 'melancholic,'" writes countertenor
Alexander Chance
of this, his debut album.
Drop not, mine eyes
was made in September of 2021, in one of those venturing-out spaces between lockdowns, and released in 2023. Melancholy is a central trait of the lute song repertory
Chance
explores here, and he delivers some corkers in that vein, not only
Dowland
's familiar
Flow, my tears
but also the lesser-known three-section
Mrs. M.E. Her Funeral Tears for the Death of Her Husband
by the underrated
John Danyel
. Yet
leavens the dark mood with some gorgeous, lyrical pieces (try
Thomas Campion
's
The Cypress Curtain of the Night
) and even a bit of raunch ("Give me kind Amaryllis, the wanton country maid"). Curiosity about
, the son of famed countertenor
Michael Chance
, might have drawn buyers to this album, which appeared on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2023. Once listening, hearers will discover not a clone of
but a youthful voice with a highly distinctive tang, held in check here by the quiet nature of most of the songs. It is a debut that reflects its time and promises much. ~ James Manheim