“The experience of being lovesick is universal. We are not the first to encounter it and
there is no place safe from feeling this particular brand of melancholy. A favourite topic in
art since the medieval period, museums are bursting with portrayals of love’s rebuke, and
lovesickness has been studied as a legitimate medical illness, not least of all by Sigmund
Freud who called it ‘a kind of craziness’. The 17th century was a unique period when feeling
these bittersweet emotions was embraced as fuel for artistic expression. Love triggers an
amphetamine-like euphoria in a dozen regions of the brain, similar to cocaine, dopamine,
and oxytocin. In the thralls of an amorous high, one easily forgets the opposite of that
ecstasy; unrequited or faded love that brings a despair all its own, causing depression,
confusion, apathy, mood swings, and insomnia — the physical manifestation of heartbreak” – Randall Scotting
His second album on Signum Records, counter-tenor Randall Scotting is joined by celebrated lutenist Stephen Stubbs for a collection of anti-Valentine’s songs focussing on heartbreak and loss from the 17th century.
“Perhaps there is no cure for lovesickness; but we are confident that this album will be
comfort for all those who have loved, lost, and hope to love again”. – Wendy Heller, Chair, Dept of Music, Princeton University.
Stephen Stubbs plays on three instruments at A=415 Hz; a 10-course bass lute by Lawrence K.
Brown, a baroque guitar by Ivo Magherini, and a 10-course renaissance lute by Stephen Barber.
“The programme is skilfully planned and beautifully executed…Scotting sings throughout with rich, even tone and clear diction” – Gramophone
★★★★ Performance ★★★★ Recording “[The album] offers a worthy platform for the acclaimed musical and dramatic skills of Randall Scotting and Stephen Stubbs” – BBC Music Magazine
“Any risk of addiction? So much the better – these songs are worth it!” – Musicweb International
★★★★½ “American countertenor Randall Scotting’s strapping image runs counter to what you might expect. There is a robustness to the voice, too, but refined through his extensive operatic experience. The opera house and the salon coexist in this dramatic yet intimate themed recital in which the legendary Stephen Stubbs, playing renaissance and baroque lutes and a baroque guitar, deploys his legendary arsenal of colours and expressive gestures” – Limelight