Handel's Finest Arias for Base Voice

GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Vocal

'With his acting chops and weighty bass-baritone, Purves in full cry is a splendid and fearful spectacle' (The Times)

"Possessing in effect two voices in one - a ringing, incisive high baritone with a sonorous bass extension...Purves's flair for specific characterisation enlivens every number on the disc...A counter...to the cliched notion that [Handel's] bass arias are all undifferentiated bluster." Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice, January 2013

"Purves is a fine vocal actor, and we're continuously aware of the variety of Handel's style and the sharpness of his characterisation. The great moments are those in which the singing reveals the depths of Handel's psychological insight, above all in a scene from Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, in which the monster Polifemo is suddenly shown to have immense nobility of soul." The Guardian, 10th January 2013 ****

"one to treasure both for the sensitive and well-sustained singing of Christopher Purves and for the wonderfully wide expressive range of Handel's music...Purves has an acute ear, serving well his intonation and lively feeling for characterisation...The pleasure of single-voice recitals can sometimes be tempered by repetitive mannerisms or exaggerated gestures. Purves avoids both, ensuring enjoyment" (Five Stars) BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 - Vocal Finalist

The magnificent Christopher Purves performs a recital of Handel's bass arias. This unique collection demonstrates the range and brilliance of Handel's writing for this voice, featuring a selection from Italian and English operas, English classical drama, Biblical oratorios, literary odes and a masque. Handel's endlessly imaginative gift for characterization is fully explored here, with Purves commanding an extraordinary emotional and technical range from the buffo blustering of Polyphemus in Acis and Gatalea to the loving musings of Abinoam in 'Tears, such as tender fathers shed' from the oratorio Deborah.