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The Indian Queen Was the Depth of Detail We Could Go I Recall with Fondness the Late Allan Wicks, Into to Allow Purcell’S Instrumental Writing to Leap Off the Page

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The Indian Queen Was the Depth of Detail We Could Go I Recall with Fondness the Late Allan Wicks, Into to Allow Purcell’S Instrumental Writing to Leap Off the Page CORO CORO Purcell: Purcell: The Fairy Queen Love’s Goddess Sure was Blind Henry Purcell “A performance “...breaks new ground in like this shows scholarship, matching it dimensions of with performances of the Purcell’s genius that highest order...” THE are all too rarely bbc music magazine heard on disc.” gramophone INDIAN cor16005 cor16024 QUEEN Bright Orb of Harmony Ravish’d with Sacred Extasies Julie Cooper Henry Purcell. James MacMillan Dowland. Campian. Humfrey . Purcell Kirsty Hopkins “Bright Orb of Elin Manahan Thomas Jeremy Budd Harmony deserves David Miller Mark Dobell to be set among that constellation of previous “An outstanding release.” Matthew Long dazzling recordings by international Ben Davies an ensemble that is record review less a choir, more Eamonn Dougan an institution.” Stuart Young cor16069 gramophone cor16081 recommended The Sixteen To find out more about The Sixteen, concert tours, and to buy CDs visit HARRY CHRISTOPHERS www.thesixteen.com cor16129 as Henry Purcell quite simply the recitative in our language”. But for me one of the greatest delights of rehearsing, Wgreatest English composer of all time? performing and recording The Indian Queen was the depth of detail we could go I recall with fondness the late Allan Wicks, into to allow Purcell’s instrumental writing to leap off the page. His string writing who was my choirmaster at Canterbury is second to none, where the viola really does provide a middle texture which is Cathedral, saying to me, a few years before adventurous, sonorous and as important as all the other parts. There is a plethora he died: “Harry, I always knew Purcell of detail, colour and characterisation to be explored in every symphony, air and was a great composer but it is only now that I Borggreve Marco Photograph: dance. But above all there is a wealth of variety capped by exquisite writing for understand why”. You may think this is a trumpet, oboes and recorders. rather odd thing to say but Purcell is one of many composers who have so benefited Like Mozart and Schubert, Henry Purcell lived all too short a life – he lived just from the period-instrument movement. We over 30 years – and for that reason it was left to his brother Daniel to complete The are now bold enough to believe and adhere to Indian Queen. Daniel was no Henry but his final Hymeneal masque allows a little his harmonies, his unique setting of text and light relief. Act V, which was the last music that Henry wrote, is a perfect Dido- his at times outrageous dramatic effects. esque ending to The Indian Queen proper and just proves how we as music lovers suffer when these geniuses die young. Purcell was a brilliant music dramatist but he was not an opera composer. Based on Dryden’s play, Purcell’s music from The Indian Queen deals with the conflict between the Mexicans and Peruvians and principally with Queen Zempoalla who at the end of the drama calls upon the magician Ismeron to tell her of the future: but, of course, it doesn’t quite turn out the way the Queen intended. This recording was made possible by the generous support of the following: I am blessed with wonderful singers in The Sixteen and there is so much exceptional vocal music for them to revel in but none better than the extraordinary recitative Stephen Harker · Simon Haslam · Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett KB “You twice ten hundred deities” for the aforesaid magician Ismeron which opens Roger Mayhew · Timothy & Damaris Sanderson Act III, and was described by the historian Charles Burney as “the best piece of 2 3 HENRY PURCELL (1659-1695) 9 Why should men quarrel here, where all possess 1.28 1 Kirsty Hopkins soprano Catch 2.24 bl To all lovers of music, performers and scrapers By ancient prophecies we have been told 4.16 (John Carr; 1686-7) Jeremy Budd tenor, Kirsty Hopkins soprano Mark Dobell, Jeremy Budd, Matthew Long tenor bm Trumpet Tune 0.44 • bn The Indian Queen (1695) ACT II Symphony 4.26 bo (John Dryden and Sir Robert Howard) I come to sing great Zempoalla’s story 1.21 Matthew Long tenor bp What flatt’ring noise is this 2.41 First Music 2 Air 1.20 Jeremy Budd, Mark Dobell, Matthew Long tenor 3 Hornpipe 0.49 Eamonn Dougan bass bq Second Music 4 Air 1.06 Begone, curst fiends of Hell 0.54 Matthew Long tenor 5 Hornpipe 1.00 br We come to sing great Zempoalla’s story 0.50 • 6 • ACT I Overture 2.54 bs 7 ACT III You twice ten hundred deities 5.24 Trumpet Tune 0.34 Eamonn Dougan bass 8 Prologue Wake, Quivera, our soft rest must cease 2.09 bt Symphony: The God of Dreams rises 1.04 Jeremy Budd tenor 4 5 bu Seek not to know what must not be reveal’d 2.40 DANIEL PURCELL (1664-1717) Julie Cooper soprano The Masque of Hymen (1695) cl Trumpet Overture 2.43 (John Dryden and Sir Robert Howard) cm Ah, how happy are we 2.01 Jeremy Budd, Mark Dobell tenor cs cn Symphony 1.07 We, the spirits of the air 1.20 ct Soloists: Kirsty Hopkins, Julie Cooper soprano To bless the genial bed with chaste delights 1.24 Ben Davies bass co I attempt from love’s sickness to fly in vain 3.51 cu Come all, come all 1.02 Julie Cooper soprano Soloist: Julie Cooper soprano Third Act Tune: Rondeau dl I’m glad I have met him 0.52 Kirsty Hopkins soprano, Eamonn Dougan bass dm • Good people, I’d make you all blest if I could 0.38 Ben Davies bass ACT IV cp They tell us that your mighty powers 4.22 dn My honey, my pug 1.32 Kirsty Hopkins soprano Kirsty Hopkins soprano, Eamonn Dougan bass cq Fourth Act Tune: Air 1.02 do The joys of wedlock soon are past 2.09 Julie Cooper soprano dp • Sound, sound the trumpet, let Love’s subjects know 1.49 Mark Dobell tenor ACT V cr While thus we bow before your shrine 5.41 dq Make haste, make haste to put on Love’s chains 1.13 Soloist: Stuart Young bass Ben Davies, Stuart Young bass dr Trumpet Air 0.26 ds Let loud Renown with all her thousand tongues 0.52 Total playing time 72.27 6 7 HENRY PURCELL The Indian Queen intervals, and once in the repertoire lessons teaching the purchasers of were revived as often as possible. sheet music how to sing or play it. Like Upfront investment took years to Andrew Lloyd Webber today, Purcell enry Purcell grew up in the and harpsichord pieces; social music recover. Fierce competition between the sustained a lucrative industry based in service of King Charles II and (catches) for the Gentlemen of the two companies in operation from 1660 the theatre but with offshoots reaching Hnarrowly escaped being born into it (he Chapel Royal to enjoy when off-duty; to 1682 increased the risk: if an opera far beyond it. Only a composer was born in 1659; 1660 was the year of and a steady stream of strictly occasional and a popular comedy were scheduled confident of his market worth would the Restoration). His father and uncle, odes and welcome songs. Following the head to head neither theatre could hope have wanted to write and release a both professional musicians, secured deaths of Pelham Humphrey in 1674 to sell out. The rivals amalgamated in catch like To all lovers of music (track salaried posts in the Chapel Royal choir and Matthew Locke in 1677, John Blow 1682 (by which time one was close to 1 on this CD), poking fun at music when business there resumed. Young and Henry Purcell together emerged bankruptcy), limping together through publishers. John Playford, John Carr Henry joined the same choir aged as the two most dependable court the politically turbulent later 1680s. and Carr’s business partner Samuel seven or eight, and while a chorister composers, sharing ode production By 1690 confidence had returned. Scott are mentioned by name. (Carr received expert tuition in composition duties between them to ensure that The United Company enjoyed a total and Scott enjoyed the joke, evidently: and keyboard playing. He stayed at deadlines were met and that individual theatrical monopoly and moved to the catch appeared in Book I of Comes court when his voice broke, in a series creative freshness could be maintained. take advantage of it. A new, big-budget Amoris, 1687, under their imprint.) of positions paying him to compose, Purcell opera opened in spring 1690 perform and direct music meeting London’s licensed theatres had re- (Dioclesian), spring 1691 (King Arthur) By 1693 rising tension between actors its voracious and very varied needs: opened within weeks of the Restoration and spring 1692 (The Fairy Queen). and managers in the United Company anthems for the Chapel Royal (many and from the beginning made Ticket prices doubled for the length made further extension of Purcell’s with string accompaniments, giving strategic use of music to attract crowds. of the run – while the other theatre blockbuster opera series seem unwise. courtiers a rounded concert experience More music than usual, along with under United Company control stayed Poor company morale affecting while officially at prayer); a repertoire spectacular dancing, costumes and helpfully shut. These Purcell premieres standards of performance on stage of sonatas on which the royal violinists moveable scenes, turned plays into were trailed in the press, eagerly would in turn affect performance at could draw when asked to provide ‘operas’; highlights of the theatre season discussed, and skilfully exploited by the box office.
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