Arise, my muse
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Henry Purcell, John Blow, William Croft, Giovanni Gabrieli, Jeremiah Clarke
Genre:
Vocal
Label: Wigmore Hall Live
Magazine Review Date: 05/2014
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 59
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: WHLIVE0065
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Birthday Ode Arise, my Muse |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Birthday Ode, 'Come ye sons of art away', Movement: Strike the viol |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
St Cecilia's Day Ode, 'Welcome to all the pleasures' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
The Pale and Purple Rose |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Sonata XXI con tre violini |
Giovanni Gabrieli, Composer
Giovanni Gabrieli, Composer Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
St Cecilia's Day Ode, 'Hail, bright Cecilia', Movement: 'Tis Nature's voice |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Birthday Ode, 'Celebrate this festival', Movement: Crown the altar, deck the shrine |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
If music be the food of love |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Fantasia: three parts on a ground |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
(The) Glory of the Arcadian groves |
Jeremiah Clarke, Composer
Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Jeremiah Clarke, Composer Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Poor Celadon, he sighs in vain |
John Blow, Composer
Iestyn Davies, Countertenor John Blow, Composer Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Ye tuneful Numbers - A song with symphonies |
William Croft, Composer
Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord William Croft, Composer |
Venus and Adonis, Movement: Suite |
John Blow, Composer
Iestyn Davies, Countertenor John Blow, Composer Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
O Solitude! my sweetest choice |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
King Arthur, Movement: Song Tune: Fairest Isle |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer Iestyn Davies, Countertenor Richard Egarr, Harpsichord |
Author: Alexandra Coghlan
While Davies offers appealing performances of classic works – ‘O solitude, my sweetest choice’ is exquisitely poised, and ‘Strike the viol’ is transformed from politely swaying dance into a muscular, swinging piece of folk-like abandon – some of the best things here are the least familiar. Jeremiah Clarke’s ‘The Glory of the Arcadian Groves’ unfolds into elegant melodic arabesques with support from two suitably bucolic recorders, while John Blow’s ‘Poor Celadon’ laments neglect of his beloved nymph with courtly poise, in melting phrases perfectly suited to Davies’s lovely legato.
A particular highlight is the Suite from Blow’s Venus and Adonis, in which Egarr’s band impersonate a cheeky Cupid and a heavy-footed huntsman with equal verve. Purcell’s instrumental music is represented by the Fantasia: Three Parts on a Ground – possibly the earliest surviving example of the ground basses that underpin so much of the composer’s music. False relations wink and strings swagger, and if the result doesn’t quite achieve the same attack as London Baroque’s wonderful recording (Harmonia Mundi, 10/90), there’s a rawness here that lends a welcome clarity to the lines.
This is a disc that reminds us why live recital programmes are such a valuable part of recorded repertoire. Rather than the monochrome focus on the solo artist permitted by the artifice of the studio, we get a fully rounded musical experience that feels more satisfying both for performers and listeners.
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