Work: Now, O now I needs must part

Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic are persuasive in Also sprach Zarathustra, less so in Sibelius. Thomas Dunford soothes with Dowland and Purcell.

There comes a stage in every countertenor’s career when he feels himself ready to tackle the exposed repertoire of John Dowland, and hence the need to find himself a talented lutenist.

The intimate Vancouver Playhouse was nearly full to hear Iestyn Davies and Thomas Dunford. Consisting of lute songs by John Dowland and his contemporaries, in addition to the Canadian premiere of Nico Muhly’s Old Bones, it’s hard to imagine a more artistically satisfying and entertaining way to spend an afternoon.