New Purcell recordings (long summary)
Harald Schyberg
This is a summary of the responses I got on my request for
information on some new Purcell recordings. Thanks to Thomas
Gebhardt (TG), Deryk Barker (DB), Jeffrey Grabelle (JG)
Chia Han-Leon (CH-L), Ali Shashaani (AS) and Raphael Tehan (RT)
for their answers (by email or on rec.music.classical.recordings).
I have also included some info from Bruno Cornec's excellent
french magazine review listing, indicated whether the recording
is on the list of recommended CDs (4 or 5 stars) from Classic CD
magazine and included excerpts from reviews in Grammophone. Further
comments on these recordings are welcome.
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Sacred works:
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Te Deum and Jubilate etc
Parrott/Taverner Choir and Players.
Virgin Veritas VC 45061-2.
TG:
"I can't imagine any better recording, it's simply terrific!!!
And not only the well-known Te Deum/Jubilate, but especially the "etc"
is wonderful!"
French magazines:
Repertoire: 6.
Grammophone:
"Altogether, a beautiful and thoughtful Purcell programme
indeed." (June issue)
Classic CD:
Recommended.
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Harmonia Sacra
McCreesh/Gabrieli Consort & Players.
Archiv 445 829-2.
TG:
"I heard only small portions of it with a friend of mine, I
wasn't too enthusiatic as I thought I would be in the first moment, but
still I think it's worth hearing it again and decide later whether I
like it or not..."
Classic CD:
Recommended.
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Anthems and Hymns
Leonhardt/Cordier/van der Kamp/Elwes/Kooy/Toelzer Knabench.
Sony Vivarte SK 53981.
TG:
"I don't know this one, but what I've heard from Leonhardt's
Purcell up to now (the Odes on Veritas and an early recording of Church
Music from Teldec) didn't satisfy me."
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The music for Queen Mary
Neary/Kirkby/Chance/New London Consort.
Sony SK 66243.
TG:
"This reads better on the page than it sounds in the end.
This reconstruction of Purcell's Funeral Music at the place where it
has sounded is the most interesting part. The ode seems very
unappropriate to me and the choral sound is not the best we can get
from English choirs."
French magazines:
Diapason: 8, Repertoire: 6.
Grammophone:
"Purcell's tercentenary year may not have got very far yet,
but already this disc looks as though it will be one of his more
fitting tributes." (March issue)
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The complete funeral music for Queen Mary
Christophers/The sixteen.
Collins Classics 1425-2.
TG:
"Uses the same reconstruction of the Funeral Music (by Bruce
Wood) as the previous CD, but has a clearly better choral sound.
Harry Christophers' approach to Purcell is to me not as exciting as
Andrew Parrott's (who seems to me the supreme Purcell conductor of all
times since 1695) but it is at least quite enjoyable. Libby Crabtree's
innocent and boy-like soprano gives a nice color to the solos..."
French magazines:
Diapason: 8, Repertoire: 7.
Grammophone:
"The two latin works and the three early settings of the
funeral sentences that make up the first part of the disc - all
youthful and determinedly chromatic - come off particularly well.
(...) thereafter I began to find things a little disappointing,
mainly on account of the solo singing, which is adequate but without
really showing the same level of technical achievement as the choir."
(January issue)
Classic CD:
Recommended.
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Full Anthems, Organ Music, Music on the Death of Queen Mary
Summerly/Cummings/Oxford Camerata.
Naxos 8.553129.
TG:
"Not the highest-standard performances and interpretations but
really good value for that money!"
French magazines:
Le Monde de la Musique: 10.
Grammophone:
"The Oxford Camerata is a young-sounding group, sharply defined
and clear if not always as expertly balanced as some of today's chamber
choirs. Summerly extracts loving and, in the main, convincing performances
from them, though I would disagree with some of his tempo decisions.
(...) any disc which offered such a 24-carat Purcell selecion
in performances even half as good as these would be hard to resist."
(February issue)
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Stage works:
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Ayres for the Theatre
Tafelmusik.
Sony Vivarte SK 66169.
DB:
"I have the Tafelmusik Ayres for the Theatre and David
Moroney's The Purcell Manuscript, and both are excellent."
French magazines:
Diapason: 6, Repertoire: 6.
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Dioclesian suite etc (+ Handel)
Goetz/Argenta/Chance/Freiburger Barockorchester
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472-77295-2.
TG:
"I (very personally) don't like it when Purcell sounds so much
like Handel, which you can compare here very easily, but it depends on
taste ... it is not played uninterestingly..."
JG:
"The Dioclesian Suite, etc. (+ Handel) with Freiburger
Barockorchester is great! (...) However, I also recommend a recording
of all the vocal and instrumental music from Dioclesian plus all the
music from Timon of Athens:
Dioclesian / Timon of Athens
Dawson, Fisher, Covey-Crump, Elliott, George, Varcoe/English Baroque Soloists
- Erato 2292453272
This is a double CD box with all sorts of gems of incidental music
plus all the main pieces."
CH-L:
"The music for Dioclesian and the masque of Timon of Athens is a
pleasure to listen to. I have the newly-reissued recordings (on Erato's
mid-priced Purcell collection) of Gardiner, with the Eng. Baroque
Soloists, sung by the wonderful Monteverdi Choir. Among the soloists are
Lynne Dawson and Gillian Fisher, whose first duet on the disc is simply
delicious!"
Grammophone:
"... the Germans give to each movement an attentiveness to
texture and articulation which almost always cast a convincing spell
on the music. (...) Well judged characterization exends to the songs
where Nancy Argenta is joined by Michael Chance." (October 1994 issue)
Classic CD:
Recommended.
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Dioclesian, incidental music
Hickox/Bowman/Padmore/George/Collegium Musicum 90.
Chandos CHAN 0568.
TG:
"Is not one of my favourites."
CH-L:
"Chandos is also recording this music but in Timon/Athens, boy
trebles are used instead of sopranos - so you might want to consider this
factor (I much prefer the women's - especially with Lynne Dawson
involved!). But then, Hickox has James Bowman, John Mark Ainsley AND
Michael Geroge."
French magazines:
Repertoire: 8.
Classic CD:
Recommended.
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King Arthur
Christie/Gens/Piau/McFadden/Les Arts Florissants.
Erato 4509 98535-2.
JG:
"The Dioclesian Suite, etc. (+ Handel) with Freiburger
Barockorchester is great! So is the King Arthur with Les Arts
Florissants. (ANYTHING with William Christie directing Les Arts
Florissants is superb.)"
CH-L:
"Actually I haven't heard this but Gramophone has recently
praised this recording. If you like the flamboyance of Christie's
style, then go ahead with it.
I have Gardiner's (Erato) recording and again, much good
performing. Listen especially to the genuinely English (along with
bellows of laughter, rowdy shouts of joy and use of the 'rustic' 17th
century accent) performance of the countertenor-tenor-bass trio "Your
Hay it is stacked" - absolutely hilarious!"
TG:
"This one is not yet available in Germany (at least last week),
but might well be a new First Choice for this piece. Avoid Trevor
Pinnock's King Arthur. Gardiner is slightly better."
Grammophone:
"Editor's choice". "Christie ... makes the strongest case for
this music to date, an account which will refresh those who need an
injection to persuade them that they have not yet had their fill of
Purcell for one year. A fine achievement." (June issue)
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The Indian Queen
Mackintosh/Bonner/Bott/Covey-Crump/The Purcell Simfony.
Linn CKD 035.
TG:
"I never heard of that before, but I will try it, the cast
sounds promising!"
CH-L:
"I'm waiting for Hogwood's recording. Supposedly out this fall."
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Keyboard music:
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Purcell Manuscript (New harpsichord works)
Moroney.
Virgin Veritas VC 5 45166-2.
DB:
"I have the Tafelmusik Ayres for the Theatre and David
Moroney's The Purcell Manuscript, and both are excellent, although
the latter contains >50% (by time) works by Purcell's contemporaries
- the manuscript in question also containing these works."
TG:
"Was sold out in Cologne a few days after it appeared, I think
it might be very exciting."
French Magazines:
Diapason: 9, Le Monde de la Musique: 10.
Grammophone:
"Davitt Moroney, the harpsichordist fortunate enough to be the
first to play the pieces from this manuscript, is just the man for the
job. His tidy technique allows him to put the music across neatly and
lightly, never overstating the case but always managing to make something
of pieces that in many cases are less than a minute long. In particular,
he succeeds in capturing the Englishness of of these pieces in a way
that Kenneth Gilbert's recently heavily French-flavoured recording of
Purcell did not." (May issue)
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Harpsichord suites
Gilbert.
Harmonia Mundi HMC 901496.
RT:
"Regarding your curiosity of new Purcell recordings, though I
have not heard the CD, I have been told by fellow Harpsichordists that
the Kenneth Gilbert CD should be avoided. I can't vouch for how good or
bad it is, since I haven't heard it, but generally the harpsichordists
who warned me to avoid the CD are fairly trustworthy."
TG:
"Probably best choice if you like Purcell's harpsichord music."
French Magazines:
Diapason: 8.
Grammophone:
"The results are convincing. The main successes, as you might
expect, come from the more arpeggiated preludes, and in the courtly
twiddles and poised melancholy of the almands and sarabands; but even
movements like "A New Scotch Tune" and the hornpipe from the 7th suite
manage to emerge with real french gravitas. Add to that the crisply
eloquent playing of which Gilbert has always been capable, and what
you have is a real pleasure." (May issue)
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Chamber music:
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Sonatas in 4 parts
Locke consort.
Channel classics CCS 7295.
TG:
"I don't know this one, but I like the recordings of the
Purcell Quartet (on Chandos) very much, and cannot imagine that this
will do better !?!"
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Songs etc:
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Hark how the wild musicians sing - Symphony songs
Holman/Blanc/Gooding/Potter/Smith/Parley of Instruments.
Hyperion CDA 66750.
Classic CD:
Recommended.
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Sound the Trumpets from Shore to Shore (+other composers)
Kirkby/Tubb/English Trumpet Virtuosi/Hoskins.
Musica Oscura 070979.
TG:
"Not the typical Purcell Song repertoire, but nontheless
fine (as all of the Musica Oscura recordings are in a way...)."
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Songs and instrumental music "with charming notes"
McGegan/Brandes/Springfield/Arcadian Academy.
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907167.
French magazines:
Diapason: 9, Le Monde de la Musique: 8, Repertoire: 8.
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Songs of Welcome and Farewell
Stubbs/Headley/LeBlanc/Dugardin/Tragicomedia.
Teldec 4509-95068-2.
French magazines:
Diapason: 6, Repertoire: 8.
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Samplers:
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A Purcell Miscellany
Bott/Benett/The Purcell Quartet.
Chandos CHAN 0571.
French magazines:
Diapason: 8, Le Monde de la Musique: 7, Repertoire: 7.
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"Glory of " (300th Anniversary Celebration)
Hogwood/Kirkby/Bott/Bowman/Deller/AAM.
L'Oiseau-Lyre 444-620-2.
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"Pocket Purcell"
Taverner Consort & Players.
Virgin Veritas VC 5 45116-2.
TG:
"Of these samplers the last one is the finest, even if there
are not the most popular works on it. I love Parrott's version of
"Rejoice in the Lord alway"."
French magazines:
Repertoire: 7.
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Some recommendations on other recordings:
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JG:
"If you are looking for a great collection of Purcell's theatre
music try this 6 or 7 CD box set:
Theatre Music (Abdelazer, Distressed Innocence, The Married Beau,
The Gordian Knot Unty'd, Sir Anthony Love, Bonduca, Circe, The Virtuous
Wife, The Old Bachelor, Don Quixote, Amphitryon, The Double Dealer, The
Rival Sisters, Theodosius, The Libertine, Oedipus, A Fool's Preferment
and other incidental music.)
Kirkby, Nelson, Bowman, Hill, Thomas / The Academy of Ancient Music -
L'Oiseau Lyre 4258932.
This huge collection was recorded by Christopher Hogwood from
1976-1985 and has all sorts of gems, especially the overtures."
TG:
"If you don't have the new Hogwood Dido & Aeneas (with Catherine
Bott and Emma Kirkby) nor the old Parrott one (on Chandos) then run to
your record shop and buy it (or better both) - no matter which recording
else you own!!!"
TG about the above song recordings:
"If you don't want to buy all the recordings on the list leave
that one out and take one with "Purcell's Songs" only:
either
O Solitude' - Songs & Airs
Nacy Argenta/Nigel North/Richard Boothby/Paul Nicholson
Virgin Veritas (EMI) VC7 59324
or
'The Secular Solo Songs of Henry Purcell' (3 vols., I'm afraid)
various soloists, The King's Consort, Robert King Hyperion (nos. not
at hand, sorry)."
AS:
"If you like the sound of Viols and chamber music then there is
a CD on the Astree Label of Purcell's Viols Fantasias performed by Jordi
Savall and his wonderful group Hesperion XX."
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Regards,
Harald Schyberg
Oslo, Norway
Andreas Kopp
Perhaps one further CD might be of interest which does't contain music
by Henry Purcell but works written on his death, it is:
"Odes on the death of Henry Purcell", Hyperion CDA 66578
it includes odes and suites by Jeremiah Clarke, Gottfried Finger,
Henry Hall, Thomas Morgan and the famous ode by his teacher, Dr. John Blow.
The artists are Ruth Holton (S), Rogers Covey-Crump & Charles Daniels (T),
Simon Birchall (B) and the Parley of instruments Orch. & Choir, directed by
Roy Goodman and Peter Holman [the tenors also sing countenor parts].
Especially the Clarke ode is very impressive,
best regards, Andreas Kopp.
Andreas Kopp
Theoretische Physik IV
Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum
GERMANY
a...@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de