Henry Purcell Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II, volume II; The Sixteen, Harry Christophers; CORO
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 2 October 2019 Star rating: (★★★★)
A further exploration of Purcell's Odes and Welcome Songs alongside his other music
This is another in Harry Christophers and The Sixteen's valuable series on Coro placing Henry Purcell's Odes and Welcome Songs in the context of his other music. Having already issued discs of Royal Welcome Songs for King James II and Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II, this disc is a further selection from the time of King Charles II. On this disc we have the Ode to St Cecilia, Welcome to All the Pleasures (from 1683) and the Welcome Song, From Hardy Climes and Dangerous Toils of War (from 1683), along with the anthems Hear my prayer O Lord, Lord how long wilt thou be angry and In thee O Lord do I put my trust, the songs O Solitude and From silent shades, the devotional song Plung'd inthe confines of despair, the Pavan of Four Parts in G minor and a catch, performed by a vocal ensemble of eight, with all singers mixing solo lines with ensemble singing, and an instrumental ensemble of 12 strings, theorbo, harp and organ/harpsichord.
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 2 October 2019 Star rating: (★★★★)
A further exploration of Purcell's Odes and Welcome Songs alongside his other music
This is another in Harry Christophers and The Sixteen's valuable series on Coro placing Henry Purcell's Odes and Welcome Songs in the context of his other music. Having already issued discs of Royal Welcome Songs for King James II and Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II, this disc is a further selection from the time of King Charles II. On this disc we have the Ode to St Cecilia, Welcome to All the Pleasures (from 1683) and the Welcome Song, From Hardy Climes and Dangerous Toils of War (from 1683), along with the anthems Hear my prayer O Lord, Lord how long wilt thou be angry and In thee O Lord do I put my trust, the songs O Solitude and From silent shades, the devotional song Plung'd inthe confines of despair, the Pavan of Four Parts in G minor and a catch, performed by a vocal ensemble of eight, with all singers mixing solo lines with ensemble singing, and an instrumental ensemble of 12 strings, theorbo, harp and organ/harpsichord.
Whilst King Charles II projected a confident, not to say swaggering image, the reality of his regime with its secret subsidies from King Louis XIV was less edifying. But during his lifetime these details were known to few and what Henry Purcell's music projects is the official image of the somewhat cultured and pleasure-loving court. Charles' tastes were formed by his period in exile, the experience of his cousin Louis XIV's court. But, restored to the throne in England, money was far tighter than at the French court, and Charles notoriously always preferred music that he could beat time to!
Hieronymus Janssens, Charles II Dancing at a Ball at Court, c. 1660, oil on canvas : 140 × 214 cm. London, The Royal Collection, RCIN 00525. |
Both pieces weave solo moments with vocal ensemble in a fluid manner with Purcell deploying his quite limited forces with great imagination. These pieces respond to the relatively small scale of the performance, and the singers in The Sixteen move easily between solo and ensemble roles with all eight having a solo moment in one or other of the pieces. This is somewhat different to the complete recording of the Odes and Welcome Songs from Robert King and the Kings Consort where the soloists remain separate from the choir.
The disc opens with Hear my prayer, O Lord, one of the most affecting and tantalising of Purcell's full anthems. It is very short and tempting to feel it is incomplete, yet it is very powerful, and may probably have been written for a planned funeral service for King Charles II (dropped owing to his deathbed conversion). Katy Hill gives a beautfifully fragile account of the song O Solitude, complemented by the anthem Lord, how long wilt Thou be angry, the pavan and Plung'd in the confines of despair one of Purcell's relatively neglected three part sacred songs. And these are followed by Welcome to all the pleasures.
In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust is a truly large scale piece, accompanied by instrumental ensemble, which lasts over 10 minutes, and this is followed by the mad song From silent shades in which Kirsty Hopkins brings out the vivid changes of mood in the piece, and then a lively catch Of all the instruments that are, before From hardy climes and dangerous toils of war.
Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II, volume II
Henry Purcell (1659-95) - Hear my prayer, O Lord
Henry Purcell - O Solitude, my sweetest choice
Henry Purcell - Lord, how long wilt tThou be angry
Henry Purcell - Pavan of four parts in G minor
Henry Purcell - Plung'd in the confines of despair
Henry Purcell - Welcome to all the pleasures
Henry Purcell - In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust
Henry Purcell - From silent shades and the Elysian groves
Henry Purcell - Catch: Of all the instruments that are
Henry Purcell - From hardy climes and dangerous toils of war
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers
Recorded in the Church of St Augustine, Kilburn, London, 27-29 June 2019
CORO COR16173 1CD [72.27]
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