Album

For a disc featuring bagpipes, shawns, recorders, flutes, crumhorns, and sackbutts plus lutes, citterns, guitars, and assorted untamed percussion instruments, it's not as raucous as you might at first imagine. That's not to say that the seven players of Philadelphia's Piffaro early instrument ensemble don't kick up a ruckus on this 1995 disc called Canzoni e Danze—Wind Music from Renaissance Italy. On tracks like the opening Piza and the later La Parma, Piffaro's attack is mighty and its rhythms are strong. Yet on the string-driven Pass'e mezzo ditto il Romano and the flute- and recorder-dominated Aldì, dolce ben mio show a more dulcet and lovely side of the ensemble. And the closing suite begun with the drum-led march La morte de la ragione shows the group can build a dramatic sequence to a rousing climax as well as the best late Romantic. There's never any question of the player's abilities. Even on the most notoriously recalcitrant Renaissance instruments, Piffaro performs with virtuoso ease and brilliance both individually and as an ensemble. Anyone looking for a rambunctious good time in a Renaissance sort of way who doesn't already know this disc from its first release will surely enjoy it in this 2007 reissue.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1
Joan Ambrosio Dalza Composer Piva, for lute Work Piffaro Ensemble
1	Piva, for lute	1:51			$0.49
Heinrich Isaac Composer Palle, palle; Ne più bella; La mi sol Work Piffaro Ensemble
2	Palle, palle; Ne più bella; La mi sol	6:45			$0.99
Francesco Bendusi Composer Work(s) Work Piffaro Ensemble
3	Pass'e mezzo ditto il Romano / Moschetta / Bandera	3:18			$0.99
Giorgio Mainerio Composer La Parma, for flutes, harp and lute Work Piffaro Ensemble
4	La Parma, for flutes, harp and lute	6:51			$0.99
Rossino Mantovano Composer Lirum bililirum (Un sonar de piva in fachinesco), madrigal Work Piffaro Ensemble
5	Lirum bililirum (Un sonar de piva in fachinesco), madrigal	3:46			$0.99
Costanzo Festa Composer Regam archangelorum (For shawms and sackbuts) Work Piffaro Ensemble
6	Regam archangelorum (For shawms and sackbuts)	3:50			$0.99
Filippo Azzaiolo Composer Work(s) Work Piffaro Ensemble
7	Aldì, dolce ben mio / Bona via faccia barca / Gentil madonna	8:50			$1.49
Costanzo Festa Composer Donna, quando pietosa (Arcadelt) / El travagliato (Ruffo) / La gamba (Ruffo) / Amor è foco e ghiaccio (Vecchi) Work Piffaro Ensemble
8	Donna, quando pietosa (Arcadelt) / El travagliato (Ruffo) / La gamba (Ruffo) / Amor è foco e ghiaccio (Vecchi)	3:55			$0.99
Costanzo Festa Composer All'arm' (Agostini) / Com'al primo apparir (Ferretti) / Sonata "La facca" (Gussago) Work Piffaro Ensemble
9	All'arm' (Agostini) / Com'al primo apparir (Ferretti) / Sonata "La facca" (Gussago)	6:53			$0.99
Costanzo Festa Composer Canzona "Istrini" (Bonelli) / Sonata "La Fontana" (Gussago) / Canzona "Licori" (Bonelli) Work Piffaro Ensemble
10	Canzona "Istrini" (Bonelli) / Sonata "La Fontana" (Gussago) / Canzona "Licori" (Bonelli)	5:50			$0.99
Anonymous: Medieval Polyphony (12th-14th c.) Composer La morte de la ragione Work Piffaro Ensemble
11	La morte de la ragione	10:07			$1.99