Monday 27 April 2009

What a Way to Celebrate Henry Purcell's 350th Anniversary!

As soon as I finish here, I'm going to put on a new CD that should be in a music store near you beginning today. It could be called "Henry Purcell's Greatest Hits", but officially it's Fantaisies pour Violes.

Les Voix Humaines (which includes our own favourite viols-da-gambiste Elin) recorded some marvelous music last winter, much of it on instruments that date from Purcell's time which belong to the University of Toronto. We had the pleasure of listening to Elin practice on one. The tone was absolutely fabulous, and I'm sure the CD is too.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Place à Purcell à la 7ème édition du Festival Montréal Baroque !
Du 25 au 28 juin 2009
From 25 to 28 June 2009

Cette année, Montréal Baroque célèbre le 350e anniversaire de la naissance d’Henry Purcell. Compositeur très populaire, Purcell est décédé jeune, à 36 ans, de causes mystérieuses. Une rumeur voudrait qu’il ait succombé à une surdose d’une nouvelle boisson apparue en Europe à l’époque : le chocolat. L’idée d’apparier les plaisirs du chocolat et de la merveilleuse musique de Purcell nous a complètement séduits, d’où le thème de notre Festival et ses plaisirs chocolatés!

This year's Festival celebrates the 350th anniversary of Henry Purcell's birth. His premature death at the age of 36, was suspected to be the tragic result of an overdose of chocolate, the new drug that had recently ravaged the unsuspecting population of the Fairest Isle!
Montreal Baroque invites you to a marathon of Purcell's music and the opportunity to follow in the master's footsteps by overdosing on chocolate, if you wish!
www.montrealbaroque.com
La programmation contient un concert bénéfice hors-série pour le Theatre of Early Music dirigé par Daniel Taylor
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Hymn to St. Cecilia

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Anthem Remember not O Lord

Henry Purcell
Anthem Hear my prayer

William H. Harris (1883-1973)
Anthem Faire is the Heaven

Thomas Tallis (1510-1585)
Motet O nata lux

Nicolas Gombert (v.1505-v.1556)
Motet Tulerunt Dominum

Benjamin Britten
Hymn to the Virgin