Vocal, Songs, Purcell (composer)
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Victorious Love - Songs by Henry Purcell
RecommendedCarolyn Sampson (soprano), Laurence Cummings (harpsichord & spinet), Elizabeth Kenny (archlute / theorbo), Anne-Marie Lasla (bass viol), Sarah Sexton (violin I), Andrea Morris (violin II) & Jane Rogers (viola)
Her tone is extraordinarily beautiful: natural, warm and unforced, with almost superhuman vocal athleticism —
Awards:
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Building a Library, February 2014, Top Recital Recommendation
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Gramophone Magazine, December 2007, Editor's Choice
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Penguin Guide, Rosette
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Special offer. Songs of Passion
RecommendedLea Desandre (mezzo), Thomas Dunford (lute, theorbo), with Alex Rosen (bass-baritone), Jess Dandy (contralto), Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Huw Montague Rendall (baritone)
Jupiter
Across two discs, the performers shed any hint of 'whitewashed' English restraint, fathoming Dowland's twilight world and Purcell's exuberant theatricality. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2025, Editor's Choice
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International Classical Music Awards, 2026, Winner - Baroque Vocal
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2025
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The New York Times, Best Classical Music Albums of 2025
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a performance that may not be authentic in a strict historical sense but feels absolutely authentic to the spirit of the period and of players – as then, and as now. —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, September 2022
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2022
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2022, Editor's Choice
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Andreas Scholl: Purcell - O Solitude
RecommendedAndreas Scholl (countertenor), with Christophe Dumaux (countertenor)
Accademia Bizantina, Stefano Montanari
Ethereal yet visceral, Scholl's voice is the dream vehicle for Purcell...Stefano Montanari coaxes thrilling playing from Accademia Bizantina, who dance and swagger, throb and pulsate with true... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2012, Vocal Award Winner
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the result is coherently put together, with Hughes's resourceful vocal imagination and use of tone, plus the subtlety and careful placement of her decorations, drawing the ear again and again. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, March 2026, Editor's Choice
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Chance’s tone is pellucid; notes fall round and clear as water drops...a recording in which Chance stakes serious claim to the title of his generation’s most exciting British countertenor. —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, April 2023
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Gramophone Magazine, July 2023, Editor's Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2023
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Baroque Vocal
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2024, Nominated - Young Talent of the Year
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Five-voice Papagena are a class act...this album confirms the creativity, skill and musicianship of a group that deserves King's Singers levels of success and attention. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2026, Editor's Choice
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The art of vocal duetting is exemplified at its best in this recital by two of today’s finest British singers, working with an accompanist of equal merit…each singer has solo items…Yet the most... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, Choral & Song Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2017, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2018, Shortlisted - Solo Vocal
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Special offer. English Royal Funeral Music
RecommendedLes Trompettes des Plaisirs, Lingua Franca & Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
one might call it a classically 'English' choral sound - but any suspicions of coolness are easily dispelled by the commitment shown to the meaning of both music and text...Once again, Vox Luminis... —
Awards:
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Building a Library, April 2015, First Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2013, Editor's Choice
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If the Fates Allow - Music By Purcell and His Contemporaries
Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano), Sounds Baroque, Julian Perkins
She is someone who acts fully with her vocal armory, and we can see this in the way she does not only project her voice with prettiness and fluency...Helen Charlston is a special singer. The... —
