Mad Songs
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: John Eccles, John Weldon, Anonymous, Henry Purcell, Gottfried Finger, Daniel Purcell
Label: L'Oiseau-Lyre
Magazine Review Date: 2/1993
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 72
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 433 187-2OH
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Bess of Bedlam, 'From silent shades' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord Henry Purcell, Composer |
| (The Comical History of) Don Quixote, Movement: Let the dreadful engines |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Anthony Pleeth, Cello Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord Henry Purcell, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela Tom Finucane, Lute |
| (The Comical History of) Don Quixote, Movement: From rosy bow'rs |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Anthony Pleeth, Cello Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord Henry Purcell, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela Tom Finucane, Lute |
| (A) Fool's Preferment |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord Henry Purcell, Composer |
| Not all my torments can your pity move |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord Henry Purcell, Composer |
| (The) Mad Lover, Movement: Must then a faithful lover go? |
John Eccles, Composer
Anthony Pleeth, Cello Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela Tom Finucane, Lute |
| (The) Mad Lover, Movement: Let all be gay |
John Eccles, Composer
Anthony Pleeth, Cello Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela Tom Finucane, Lute |
| (The) Mad Lover, Movement: Cease of Cupid to complain |
John Eccles, Composer
Anthony Pleeth, Cello Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela Tom Finucane, Lute |
| She Ventures, and He Wins |
John Eccles, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba |
| (The) Comical History of Don Quixote |
John Eccles, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba |
| Cyrus the Great, or The Tragedy of Love |
John Eccles, Composer
Anthony Pleeth, Cello Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer |
| (The) Way of the World |
John Eccles, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Eccles, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba |
| Reason, what art thou? |
John Weldon, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord John Weldon, Composer Mark Levy, Viola da gamba |
| While I with wounding grief |
Gottfried Finger, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano Gottfried Finger, Composer Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela |
| Achilles, or Iphgenia in Aulis |
Daniel Purcell, Composer
Catherine Bott, Soprano Daniel Purcell, Composer David Roblou, Harpsichord Mark Levy, Viola da gamba |
| Mad Maudlin, 'To find my Tom of Bedlam' |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Catherine Bott, Soprano Paula Chateauneuf, Vihuela |
| Tom of Bedlam, 'Forth from the dark and dismal cel |
Anonymous, Composer
Anonymous, Composer Catherine Bott, Soprano David Roblou, Harpsichord |
Author: Lindsay Kemp
Last year I reviewed a disc entitled ''English Mad Songs and Ayres'' (Dorian, 5/92) in which the 'mad' quotient was a rather disappointing three pieces out of 14. This new release offers a juicier helping of derangement, with nearly all of its 18 numbers convincingly satisfying the appropriate musical and literary requirements. Here are superb songs by Purcell as well as works by a number of his lesser-known contemporaries, of whom the dependable Eccles—Purcell's natural successor as England's leading theatre composer—is deservedly the best represented, his I burn, my brain consumes to ashes was highly celebrated in its time and still comes across powerfully today. Blow's Lysander I pursue in vain is also a fine piece, while two anonymous ballads take us into territory which, if less sophisticated, is in its robust way certainly no less evocative of its period.
As Timothy Roberts points out in his insert-note, the Restoration mad song was ''in effect a miniature cantata''. The genre closely juxtaposes short sections of recitative and arioso to create capricious shifts of mood which could not only be deeply expressive, but must also have been a test of any singer's agility and dramatic flair. Fortunately, Catherine Bott has such qualities in abundance; she can deal effortlessly with difficult passagework, while her vocal colours encompass charmingly light upper reaches and an almost frighteningly strong chest register. The earthy slightly 'under-developed' quality of her voice, too, means that the music never loses touch with the feel of the spoken word, a factor which helps bring the performances an authentic whiff of the theatre. With attention bound to be focused increasingly on English music of the late seventeenth century in the years leading up to Purcell's tercentenary, anyone wishing to present Restoration drama with its original music should be beating a hasty path to Catherine Bott's door.'
As Timothy Roberts points out in his insert-note, the Restoration mad song was ''in effect a miniature cantata''. The genre closely juxtaposes short sections of recitative and arioso to create capricious shifts of mood which could not only be deeply expressive, but must also have been a test of any singer's agility and dramatic flair. Fortunately, Catherine Bott has such qualities in abundance; she can deal effortlessly with difficult passagework, while her vocal colours encompass charmingly light upper reaches and an almost frighteningly strong chest register. The earthy slightly 'under-developed' quality of her voice, too, means that the music never loses touch with the feel of the spoken word, a factor which helps bring the performances an authentic whiff of the theatre. With attention bound to be focused increasingly on English music of the late seventeenth century in the years leading up to Purcell's tercentenary, anyone wishing to present Restoration drama with its original music should be beating a hasty path to Catherine Bott's door.'
Mad Songs
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Follow us
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.