Christopher Simpson: The Seasons, The Monthes and Other Divisions of Time -- I is the lengthy title for a generally excellent disc devoted to Simpson by a viol consort led by
Sophie Watillon for the Alpha Productions label. It includes two of Simpson's "seasons," The Winter and The Spring, the first six "monthes" of the year, and three sets of divisions. Presumably Christopher Simpson: The Seasons, The Monthes and Other Divisions of Time -- II will complete
Watillon's surveys of Simpson's seasons and "monthes," in addition to other things, but this is fine just by itself. The playing of
Sophie Watillon and her group is sensitive, well-paced, and flexible in a manner that does justice to the somewhat jazzy milieu Simpson alludes to in his theoretical works such as The Division Violist.
Watillon's approach to this music is coming more from an artistic motivation than from a scholarly bent, and the portion of the liner notes written by her contains an original poem, as opposed to the sort of serious justification, and the laying of musicological groundwork, that we usually see.
Nevertheless, once you listen, you will not miss that. While all of the music on Christopher Simpson: The Seasons, The Monthes and Other Divisions of Time -- I is top drawer, it is hard not to be especially drawn to the Divisions, pieces originally intended for teaching rather than listening. Their minimalistic-sounding repeated patterns and rapid passagework are all the more attractive to modern ears due to the similarity it bears to pop music, certainly not what Simpson had in mind in 1659. If the composer has any latent misgivings about this misappropriation of his work, he should get in line behind Johann Pachelbel, who on the same score would have a lot to complain about. The rest should just simply sit back and enjoy, an activity that is very easy to do when Christopher Simpson: The Seasons, The Monthes and Other Divisions of Time -- I is in the player. This disc is urgently recommended to types who want to have music for relaxation, but prefer it not to be too familiar or overly comfortable.