Purcell: Theatre Music, Vol. 2 (Incls 'The Old Batchelor' & 'The Married Beau')
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HENRY PURCELL
Purcell: Theatre Music, Vol. 2 (Incls 'The Old Batchelor' & 'The Married Beau')
Johane Ansell (soprano) & Jason Nedecky (baritone) / Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon
[ Naxos / CD ]
Release Date: Wednesday 1 June 2016
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Despite his immersion in the composition of sacred music, Purcell retained a lifelong interest in the theatre - an aspect of his oeuvre that has been neglected. Among the authors of the five works on this recording were two of the most celebrated of the age - John Dryden and William Congreve - and for their 'semi-operas' Purcell produced incidental music and songs of vitality, wit, and imaginative text-setting that offer an intriguing look at the world of Restoration drama. Volume 1 is on 8570149.
"Kevin Mallon and his Canadian Aradia (not 'Arcadia', it's to be noted) Ensemble have set expectations high in recent releases...Here is Volume 1 (one hopes of a series) of selections from the music for theatre that Purcell wrote, mostly towards the end of his life.
There are four pieces on a CD...a first class recording of highly charged and melody-rich music played with great style and originality by Mallon's forces. The balance between vocal and instrumental pieces is nicely struck; there is a sense of occasion - albeit by proxy - and the momentum under the rather 'rearranged' circumstances is well kept. The recording is up to scratch, though not roomy." (MusicWeb May 2008)
"This is an absolutely 'must' for Purcell collectors, and as attractive a distraction for more general listening as it was to 17th-century theatre audiences." (BBC Music)
Tracks:
The Married Beau or The Curious Impertinent - incidental music, Z603
The Spanish Friar or The Double Discovery: Whilst I with grief, Z610
Sir Anthony Love or the Rambling Lady - incidental music, Z58
The Old Batchelor - incidental music, Z607
