Purcell: King Arthur, Z628

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If the co-operation with John Dryden led to a unity of vision in terms of music's expressive role in the overall drama, Purcell was limited to a historical patriotic fantasy with little room... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: 4509985352
Label: Erato
Length: 92 minutes

Gramophone Awards

1995

Winner - Early Opera
Building a Library

October 2018

Recommended Recording

Purcell: King Arthur, Z628

Work length1:32:08

Album only

Susannah Waters (soprano), Petteri Salomaa (bass), Véronique Gens (soprano), Sandrine Piau (soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Jonathan Best (bass), François Bazola (bass), Iain Paton (tenor), Claron McFadden (soprano)
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie

Overture to Act 1

Track length1:53

$1.30

$1.70

Air

Track length1:03

$1.30

$1.70

Act 1 "Woden, first to thee" [Bass, Chorus]

Track length3:23

$1.30

$1.70

Act 1 "The white horse neigh'd aloud" [Bass, Tenor, Chorus]

Track length1:22

$1.30

$1.70

Act 1 "The lot is cast, and Tanfan pleas'd" [Soprano]

Track length0:32

$1.30

$1.70

Act 1 "Brave souls, to be renown'd in story" [Chorus]

Track length2:46

$1.30

$1.70

Act 1 "I call you all to Woden's Hall" [Tenor, Chorus]

Track length2:05

$1.30

$1.70

Act 1 "Come if you dare" [Tenor, Chorus]

Track length4:13

$1.30

$1.70

Act 2 "Hither, this way, this way bend" [Soprano, Chorus]

Track length2:09

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Act 2 "Let not a moonborn elf mislead ye" [Bass] "Hither this way, this way bend" [Chorus]

Track length1:53

$1.30

$1.70

Act 2 "Come, follow me" [Soprano, Bass, Chorus]

Track length2:22

$1.30

$1.70

Act 2 "How blest are shepherds" [Tenor, Chorus]

Track length5:18

$1.30

$1.70

Act 2 "Shepherd, shepherd, leave decoying" [Sopranos]

Track length1:54

$1.30

$1.70

Act 2 "Come, shepherds, lead up a lively measure" [Chorus] Hornpipe

Track length1:38

$1.30

$1.70

Air

Track length1:01

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 Prelude

Track length0:24

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 "What ho! thou genius of this isle" [Soprano]

Track length0:59

$1.30

$1.70

King Arthur, Act 3: "What power art thou" [Bass]

Track length4:12

Album only

Act 3 "Thou doting fool" [Soprano]

Track length0:37

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 "Great love, I know thee now" [Bass]

Track length0:55

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 "No part of my dominion" [Soprano]

Track length0:56

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 Prelude

Track length0:44

$1.30

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Act 3 "See, see, we assemble" [Chorus] Dance

Track length1:27

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 "Tis I that have warm'd ye" [Soprano] "Tis love that has warm'd us" [Chorus]

Track length1:59

$1.30

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Act 3 "Sound a parley" [Soprano, Bass] "Tis Love that has warm'd us" [Chorus]

Track length3:59

$1.30

$1.70

Act 3 Hornpipe

Track length0:47

$1.30

$1.70

Act 4 "Two daughters of this aged stream are we" [Sopranos]

Track length2:30

$1.30

$1.70

Act 4 "How happy the lover" [Tenor, Chorus] Ritornello "For love every creature" [Soprano, Bass, Chorus] "In vain are our graces" [Chorus]

Track length7:15

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$1.70

Act 4 Air

Track length0:41

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Act 5 Trumpet Tune

Track length0:46

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 "Ye blust'ring brethren of the skies" [Bass]

Track length3:23

$1.30

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Act 5 Symphony

Track length1:45

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Act 5 "Round thy coast" [Soprano, Bass, Chorus]

Track length3:20

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Act 5 "For folded flocks, and fruitful plains" [Tenors, Bass]

Track length2:00

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 "Your hay it is mow'd" [Bass, Chorus]

Track length2:30

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 "Fairest Isle" [Soprano]

Track length4:45

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 "You say 'tis Love" [Soprano, Bass]

Track length5:26

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 Trumpet Tune - Warlike Consort

Track length0:37

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 "Saint George" [Soprano, Chorus]

Track length2:05

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 "Our natives not alone appear" [Chorus]

Track length1:05

$1.30

$1.70

Act 5 Chaconne

Track length3:29

$1.30

$1.70

Reviews
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Reviews

2010

If the co-operation with John Dryden led to a unity of vision in terms of music's expressive role in the overall drama, Purcell was limited to a historical patriotic fantasy with little room for the magic and pathos of, say, the superior Fairy Queen. Yet in the context of a stage presentation, Purcell's music shines through strongly. On disc though, with just the music, not even the dramatic powers of William Christie can restore its place in the overall scheme. But never mind, this is a score with some magnificent creations and Christie is evidently enchanted by it.
The choral singing is richly textured, sensual and long-breathed, yet always alert to a nuance which can irradiate a passage at a stroke, as Christie does in the bittersweet close of 'Honour prizing' – easily the best moment in Act 1. The instrumental movements are finely moulded so that sinewy counterpoint and rhythmic profile are always strongly relayed. The songs, too, have been acutely prepared and are keenly characterised without resorting to excess. All the basses deliver their fine music with aplomb.
If there's one drawback to extracting the musical numbers from the 'opera' when they've so clearly been delivered in a theatrical context, it's that the contextual characterisations lend themselves less well to the musical continuity of a CD. King Arthur without the play is dramatically a nonsense, so why try to pretend? Christie doesn't, but makes the strongest case yet for this music.

Purcell: King Arthur, Z628

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