Search - John Mark Ainsley, James Bowman, Tessa Bonner :: The Complete Odes and Welcome Songs of Henry Purcell / King's Consort

Valuable and enjoyable

hcf | 01/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This set will delight any lover of Purcell. Ideally, you will want all 8 CD's; but if you must pick and choose, get at least Vols 1, 2 & 8 (these contain, between them, Welcome to all the pleasures, Hail Bright Cecilia and Come ye sons of art). Volume 1, entitled Royal and Ceremonial Odes, was probably recorded before King knew for sure that his idea of producing the complete chamber vocal works of Purcell would be commercially viable. Hence, the separate title and no mention of the volumes still to come. But by the time the second volume was made, the future of the project was already mapped out. The purpose of the project was to record all 24 surviving odes and welcome songs of Purcell. (This project was later followed by a similar undertaking: an 11-CD set of all surviving Purcell's anthems and services - of those, get at least vols 3 & 9). By the time King was entrusted with this massive and ambitious project, he was still in his twenties. But King knew what he was doing. His assumption of the project was backed by years of research. He even prepared his own performing editions of the works he intended to record, and furnished sleeve notes for each of the CD's in his Purcell series (Later, he also wrote a book about the composer). King's notes are insightful, although his choice of vocabulary is somewhat peculiar and repetitive. The musical results are wonderful, by all accounts. I am especially pleased that King was able to assemble such an outstanding cast of singers. For me, the highlights of the series include: Arise my muse from vol 1 (an alto solo sung by Charles Daniels); Bowman's 'Tis Nature's Voice from vol 2 (although my all time favorite version of this air is on the Herreweghe); alto-high tenor duet Let Caesar and Urania live from vol 3 (you should hear Bowman and Covey-Crump blend in this one!); The sparrow and the gentle dove from vol 4 (Charles Daniels); alto-high tenor duet Sweetness of nature from vol 6 (Bowman and Padmore); an ornate tenor duet And now when the renowned Nassau from vol 7 (Daniels and Covey-Crump); and the glorious high tenor solo O how blest is the isle from vol 8 (Padmore)."

Purcell Complete Odes & welcome songs - Kings Consort

David C. Starr | Brisbane, Australia | 06/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First class performances by the Kings Consort and recordings by Hyperion. The Kings Consort employs the best singers and players to undertake this ambitious project, and the results are stunning. Having personally sung many of the pieces featured, I know how difficult it is to make the perfect performance. The Kings Consort comes close in this collection - well done. Excellent value for 9 CDs"