Music’s Quill
Songs of Philip Rosseter, Part I
“The Maine-based duo of Timothy Neill Johnson and Timothy Burris brings a natural rapport and gentle delivery to these songs. Johnson’s lines are silky and warm; Burris’s accompaniment is placed simply and gracefully.” — Early Music America
“Johnson’s singing is very well judged, the tone never forced, the diction exemplary, with some effective use of appoggiatura, graces and divisions, and giving a general impression he has paid great attention to the meaning of the lyrics… Johnson’s vibrato humanises rather than dominates.
“Burris plays with a very clean technique and generates a beautiful tone. He is a superb supportive accompanist, and the recorded balance of voice and lute is faultless.” — The Lute Society Magazine
Songs of Philip Rosseter, Part II
“Burris … plays with beautiful tone and is an absolutely first-class accompanist melodically, rhythmically and contrapuntally.”
“Johnson’s voice is light and clear, and his diction faultless.”
“The recording balance between the voice and the lute could not be bettered.” — The Lute Society Magazine
“Tim Burris and Timothy Neill Johnson perform these songs (and lute solos) with such grace and fluidity that it is as if they were one unit. Their playing and singing style are a perfect complement to Rosseter’s refined and charming songs. Johnson’s voice is warm and simple with perfect diction; Burris is a graceful and sensitive accompanist.” — Lute Society of America Quarterly
Timothy Burris
Concert reviews
“One perceives in him a distinguished musicality and a depth of artistry, which join with a solid and finely shaded technique to produce sonorities strongly evocative of the princely courts.” — La Semaine d’Anvers
“Timothy Burris’s … performance of Piccinini’s Passacaglia was sensitive and impressive… He controlled the theorbo with precision befitting a seasoned master.” — The Virginia Gazette
CD review:Lagrime Mie
with Jennifer Lane, mezzo
“This is a very attractive recording… Timothy Burris’s accompaniments on theorbo are superb, and his two solo tracks whet the appetite for more–he is deserving of a full recital disc from PGM. … Warmly recommended.” — Fanfare
1st Annual Portland Early Music Festival (2011)
“…three songs, also on the subjects of love and dalliance, by Henry Lawes (1596-1662), [were] sung by Johnson and soprano Erin Chenard, with accompaniment by Timothy Burris on lute. They showed ability to sing elaborate ornaments without losing vocal power.
“One was transported to the parlor of Samuel Pepys, Lawes’ contemporary, but somehow I don’t think the performances there would have been as professional, for all the famous biographer’s study of vocal trills. [...] The most impressive piece of the evening was a French cantata by Louis-Nicolas Clerambault (1676-1749) for chamber orchestra and tenor. The mini-opera depicted the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe, the model for ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
“As sung by Johnson, it was surprisingly intense, with a musical depiction of emotion that seemed well in advance of its time.” – Portland Press-Herald
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