Purcell - King Arthur / Gens, McFadden, Piau, S. Waters, J. Best, Padmore, Paton, Salomaa, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
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CD Details
Composer: Henry PurcellConductor: William Christie
Orchestra: Les Arts Florissants
Performer: Veronique Gens
Performer: Claron McFadden
Performer: Sandrine Piau
Performer: Iain Paton
Performer: Jonathan Best
Performer: Mark Padmore
Performer: Petteri Salomaa
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1995-06-06
Music Label: Erato (Warner Classics)
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Overture
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Air
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: First Act: Woden, First To Thee
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: First Act: The White Horse Neigh'd Aloud
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: First Act: The Lot Is Cast, And Tanfan Pleas'd
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: First Act: Brave Souls, To Be Renoun'd In Story
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: First Act: I Call You All To Woden's Hall
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: First Act: Come If You Dare
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act: Hither, This Way, This Way Bend
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act: Let Not A Moonborn Elf Mislead Ye/Hither, This Way, This Way Ben
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act: Come, Follow Me
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act: How Blest Are Shepherds
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act: Shepherd, Shepherd, Leave Decoying
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act: Come, Shepherds, Lead Up A Lively Measure
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Second Act Tune: Air
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Prelude
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: What Ho! Thou Genius Of This Isle
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Prelude While The Cold Genius Rises
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Thou Doting Fool
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Great Love, I Know Thee Now
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: No Part Of My Dominion
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Prelude
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: See, See, We Assemble
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Tis I That Have Warm'd Ye
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Sound A Parley/Tis Love That Has Warm'd Us
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Third Act: Third Act Tune: Hornpipe
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Two Daughters Of This Aged Stream Are We
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Passacaglia/How Happy The Lover/Ritornello/For Love Every Creatu
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act Tune: Air
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Trumpet Tune
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Ye Blust'ring Brethren Of The Skies
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Symphony
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Round Thy Coast
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: For Folded Flocks, And Fruitful Plains
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Your Hay It Is Mow'd
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Fairest Isle
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: You Say 'Tis Love
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Trumpet Tune
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Our Natives Not Alone Appear
- King Arthur, or, The British Worthy, semi-opera, Z. 628: Fourth Act: Chaconne
Music reviews of Purcell - King Arthur / Gens, McFadden, Piau, S. Waters, J. Best, Padmore, Paton, Salomaa, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
Music Review: nine in ten
Rating: 4 Stars
Yes - it's beautiful; but it does have some rubato which to me was unexpected and rather annoying. No doubt it's all very authentic, but still. Deller doesn't do this on his recording and I prefer the tempo his way - traditional. Other amateurs, like me, who love "King Arthur" might find this version occasionally tiresome.
Description of Purcell - King Arthur / Gens, McFadden, Piau, S. Waters, J. Best, Padmore, Paton, Salomaa, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
The Fairy Queen may be the most famous of Purcell's "semi-operas" (spoken dramas with extended musical items incorporated--not to say dropped in), but King Arthur, with text by John Dryden, is undoubtedly the most satisfying. Not only is the music captivating on its own terms, it's unusually well-integrated into the action--for example, one musical scene depicts the heathen Saxons performing a pre- battle ceremony; another shows good spirits guiding King Arthur and his men through a dark swamp while evil spirits try to mislead them. The first three acts have a lot of vivid battle and pastoral music, but the real goodies come on the second disc: the first duet of Act?IV, in which seductive sirens Sandrine Piau and Claron McFadden attempt to lure Arthur into a stream ("come, come naked in, for we are so..."), and the masque in Act?V in honor of Britannia, which includes (in addition to winning music) a Chamber-of-Commerce-like paean to British products such as fish, wool, and wheat, a rowdy drinking song with some pointed anticlerical sentiment, and the famous song "Fairest isle" (beguilingly sung by V?ronique Gens). The multinational cast handles the English text well; other standouts include the marvelous tenor Mark Padmore and bass Petteri Salomaa. This recording was prepared right after Graham Vick's wildly successful production of the full Dryden/Purcell text at the Th??tre du Ch?telet in Paris (the booklet has some impressive photos); not surprisingly, the performances have an extroverted theatrical energy usually missing from concert versions of this music. --Matthew WestphalGeneral CDs
- Styles > Classical
- Featured Composers, A-Z > ( P ) > Purcell, Henry
- Featured Performers, A-Z > ( C ) > Christie, William
- Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Incidental Music
- Historical Periods > Baroque (c.1600-1750) > Composers > Purcell, Henry
- General
- Opera & Vocal > General
- Operettas
- Pop > Vocal Pop > General
- Classical - Historical Periods - Baroque (c.1600-1750) - Composers - Purcell, Henry - General
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