Purcell: The Fairy Queen /Les Arts Florissants * Christie | Henry Purcell, William Christie, ......

Purcell: The Fairy Queen /Les Arts Florissants * Christie | Henry Purcell, William Christie, ... | Best recording of this opera

classical music:

Purcell: The Fairy...

	*Purcell: The Fairy Queen /Les Arts Florissants Christie** Henry Purcell, William Christie, ... Harmonia Mundi Fr., 1992 average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

A dream...

Unbelievably beautiful music performed exquisitely by Les Arts and the marvellous singers. They all manage to create a wonderful fairy-tale atmosphere and to express the characters' various feelings with subtlety and heartfelt emotion. Listen to this heavenly music and you will find out why Purcell is considered to be one of the greatest composers ever and William Christie is said to have "resurrected" baroque opera.

Best recording of this opera

This opera recording has everything going for it. The cast is excellent - virtually every soloist is well known and very good indeed (Nancy Argenta, Lynne Dawson, Isabelle Desrochers, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, Noémi Rime, Charles Daniels, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Bernard Deletré, etc.). The recording was based on a stage production. The Choir and Orchestra are the best around.

William Christie brings much to Purcell, especially French sensibilities gained from performances of Lully, Charpentier and Rameau.

Listen to the Drunken Poet's scene and you'll choose this recording over all others (I have six recordings of this opera in my collection and this one is a clear winner).

One thing interesting about this recording is the use of authentic Baroque bassoons. These French instruments make some very beautiful and characterful sounds. In the high register, they sound a little like French horns. I had to check the CD when I first heard this recording - I could have sworn that Henry Purcell didn't score any horns in this work!

A marvellous and joyous recording. You should investigate!

for more information click here

Restoration theatre at its best

Of the five semi-operas by Purcell, the Fairy Queen has long been my favourite. It is just packed with really terrific songs and has some of the best instrumental dances Purcell wrote.

What really sets this recording apart is the fantastic performance by Les Arts Florissants. The Gallic flare they bring is such a breath of fresh air, that it makes all the English groups who've recorded this sound a little uptight and stuffy. Purcell's music, despite sounded very British at times, shows a definite French influence, and William Christie brings that to the fore here. I also love the rich continuo group he employs, which lends some of the pieces a real rhythmic punch.

The number of soloists used is vast, and many of them are absolute top names in early music. The use of low pitch (a=392hz) is great in that it allows for all the alto parts to be taken by haute-contre voices, and when you have Fouchecourt, Daniels, and Randall on you roster, why not?

If you don't have any of the semi-operas, this is surely the one to go for to get you hooked, and it's worth every penny.

for more information click here

Tracks
First Musick: 1. Prld - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | First Musick: 2. Hornpipe - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Second Musick: 3. Air - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Second Musick: 4. Rondeau - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Second Musick: 5. Ov - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act I: 6. Duet: Come, Let Us Leave The Town - Isabelle Desrochers/Thomas Lander | Act I: 7. Scene Of The Drunken Poet: Fill Up The Bowl - Bernard Deletre/Nancy Argenta/Willemijn Van Gent | Act I: 8. First Act Tune: Jig - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act II: 9. Come All Ye Songsters - Thomas Randle | Act II: 10. Prld - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act II: 11. Chor: May The God Of Wit Inspire/12. Echo - Jean-Paul Fouchecourt, Charles Daniels/Christophe Le Paludier/Francois Bazola/Bernard Loonen... | Act II: 13. Chor: Now Join Your Warbling Voices All/Sing While We Trip It/Dance Of Fairies - Nancy Argenta | Act II: 14. Entrance Of Night: See, Even Night Herself Is Here - Nancy Argenta | Act II: 15. Entrance Of Mystery: I Am Come To Lock All Fast - Sandrine Piau | Act II: 16. Entrance Of Secrecy: One Charming Night Gives More Delight - Charles Daniels | Act II: 17. Entrance Of Sleep: Hush, No More - Jerome Correas | Act II: 18. Dance For The Followers Of Night - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act II: 19. Second Act Tune: Air - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act III: 20. If Love's A Sweet Passion - Veronique Gens | Act III: 21. Sym While The Swans Come Forward - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act III: 22. Dance For The Fairies - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act III: 23. Dance For The Green Men - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act III: 24. Ye Gentle Spirits Of The Air - Lynne Dawson | Act III: 25. Dialogue Between Coridon And Mopsa - Bernard Deletre/Jean-Paul Fouchecourt | Act III: 26. When I Have Often Heard Young Maids Complaining - Isabelle Desrochers | Act III: 27. Dance For The Haymakers - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act III: 28. A Thousand, Thousand Ways - Charles Daniels | Act III: 29. Third Act Tune: Hornpipe - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act IV: 30. Sym - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act IV: 31. Now The Night Is Chased Away/32. Let The Fifes And The Clarions - Veronique Gens | Act IV: 33. Entry Of Phoebus - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act IV: 34. When A Cruel Long Winter/35. Chor: Hail! Great Parent Of Us All - Thomas Randle | Act IV: 36. Spring: Thus The Ever Grateful Spring - Nancy Argenta | Act IV: 37. Summer: Here's The Summer, Sprightly, Gay - Charles Daniels | Act IV: 38. Autumn: See, See My Many Colour'd Fields - Thomas Randle | Act IV: 39. Winter: Next Winter Comes Slowly - Thomas Lander | Act IV: 40. Fourth Act Tune: Air - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 41. Prld - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 42. Juno: Thrice Happy Lovers - Nancy Argenta/Lynne Dawson | Act V: 43. The Plaint: O Let Me Weep! - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 44. Entry Dance - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 45. Sym - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 46. A Chinese Man: Thus The Gloomy World - Thomas Randle | Act V: 47. Chinese Woman: Thus Happy And Free - Sandrine Piau | Act V: 48. Chinese Man: Yes, Daphne - Thomas Randle | Act V: 49. Monkeys' Dance - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 50. Hark! How All Things With One Sound Rejoice - Lynne Dawson | Act V: 51. Hark! The Echoing Air A Triumph Sings - Noemi Rime | Act V: 52. Sure The Dull God Of Marriage Does Not Hear - Nancy Argenta/Lynne Dawson | Act V: 53. Prld/54. Hymen: See, I Obey - Bernard Deletre | Act V: 55. Turn Then Thine Eyes - Willemijn Van Gent/Sandrine Piau | Act V: 56. Hymen: My Torch Indeed Will From Such Brightness Shine - Bernard Deletre | Act V: 57. They Shall Be As Happy As They Are Fair - Nancy Argenta/Lynne Dawson | Act V: 58. Chaconne - Les Arts Florissants/William Christie | Act V: 59. They Shall Be As Happy As They Are Fair - Nancy Argenta/Lynne Dawson/Isabelle Desrochers/Willemijn Van Gent/Veronique Gens/Sandrine Piau...

products you might be interested in