'Mr Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composure's'
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Henry Purcell
Label: Hyperion
Magazine Review Date: 7/1989
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 58
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: CDA66288
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| We sing to him whose wisdom form'd the ear |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The History of) Dioclesian, or The Prophetess, Movement: ~ |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The History of) Dioclesian, or The Prophetess, Movement: Since from my dear Astrea's sight (song: soprano) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| How long, great God |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| Not all my torments can your pity move |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| Oedipus, Movement: Music for a while (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| King Arthur, Movement: Fairest isle |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Knotting Song, 'Hears not my Phyllis' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Fairy Queen, Movement: First Musick: |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Fairy Queen, Movement: First Act Tune: Jig |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| Welcome Song, 'Ye tuneful Muses' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer |
| Tyrannic Love, Movement: Ah! how sweet it is to love (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Rival Sisters, Movement: Celia has a thousand charms (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Fatal hour comes on apace |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| If music be the food of love |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| St Cecilia's Day Ode, 'Welcome to all the pleasures' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer |
| (An) Evening Hymn on a Ground, 'Now that the sun hath veil'd his light' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
Composer or Director: Henry Purcell
Label: Hyperion
Magazine Review Date: 7/1989
Media Format: Cassette
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: KA66288
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| We sing to him whose wisdom form'd the ear |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The History of) Dioclesian, or The Prophetess, Movement: ~ |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The History of) Dioclesian, or The Prophetess, Movement: Since from my dear Astrea's sight (song: soprano) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| How long, great God |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| Not all my torments can your pity move |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| Oedipus, Movement: Music for a while (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| King Arthur, Movement: Fairest isle |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Knotting Song, 'Hears not my Phyllis' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Fairy Queen, Movement: First Musick: |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Fairy Queen, Movement: First Act Tune: Jig |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| Welcome Song, 'Ye tuneful Muses' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer |
| Tyrannic Love, Movement: Ah! how sweet it is to love (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Rival Sisters, Movement: Celia has a thousand charms (song) |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| (The) Fatal hour comes on apace |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| If music be the food of love |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
| St Cecilia's Day Ode, 'Welcome to all the pleasures' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
Henry Purcell, Composer |
| (An) Evening Hymn on a Ground, 'Now that the sun hath veil'd his light' |
Henry Purcell, Composer
(The) King's Consort Henry Purcell, Composer James Bowman, Alto Robert King, Conductor |
Author:
James Bowman must surely be the finest vocal interpreter of Purcell today. His grasp of sentiment, his sense of timing and his enunciation are unsurpassed. The King's Consort have wisely continued their successful collaboration with him capitalizing on his declamatory skills in this selection of some of Purcell's best-loved countertenor songs—a variety of devotional music interspersed with theatre songs and excerpts from odes.
Some were chosen to give scope to the instrumentalists—the evergreen ''Fairest isle'' with its ritornellos; ''The plaint'', with its very gently affecting violin obbligato by Catherine Weiss; ''With him he brings'', betraying its origins in an ode to James II by the final long orchestral section, ''One charming night'' whose recorders are somewhat unsatisfactorily replaced by muted violins when it is transposed up for Bowman; and the exquisitely beautiful ''Here the Deities approve'' from the St Cecilia's Day ode of 1683 with its violin refrain. The continuo accompaniment alternates between lute (archlute and theorbo), harpsichord and organ, in every case doubled by Mark Caudle's string basses (viol and violin); only the canonized ''Music for a while'' suffers slightly from a lumbering accompaniment.
However Bowman is at his best when unencumbered, singing in a semi-recitative style, fascinating his listener's ear with the endless diversity of Purcell's melismas and the simplicity with which he delivers the syllabic settings.'
Some were chosen to give scope to the instrumentalists—the evergreen ''Fairest isle'' with its ritornellos; ''The plaint'', with its very gently affecting violin obbligato by Catherine Weiss; ''With him he brings'', betraying its origins in an ode to James II by the final long orchestral section, ''One charming night'' whose recorders are somewhat unsatisfactorily replaced by muted violins when it is transposed up for Bowman; and the exquisitely beautiful ''Here the Deities approve'' from the St Cecilia's Day ode of 1683 with its violin refrain. The continuo accompaniment alternates between lute (archlute and theorbo), harpsichord and organ, in every case doubled by Mark Caudle's string basses (viol and violin); only the canonized ''Music for a while'' suffers slightly from a lumbering accompaniment.
However Bowman is at his best when unencumbered, singing in a semi-recitative style, fascinating his listener's ear with the endless diversity of Purcell's melismas and the simplicity with which he delivers the syllabic settings.'
'Mr Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composure's'
'Mr Henry Purcell's Most Admirable Composure's'
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