Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
A good deal of ink is spilled in the booklet to this Alpha release on the question of what instruments were popular in England during Henry Purcell's lifetime at the end of the 17th century. But none of it deals with the music heard on the album, or the conditions in which it was played (some of the songs were part of dramatic works, which would have made the mixed chamber groupings here unlikely), or who might have used these instruments in performances of this kind. Thus the performance falls into the class of those that use written music merely as a stimulus to further creativity. As such, it's a bit hard to evaluate. The program is the strongest point: the arrangements (for that is really what they are) by the Belgian group Scherzi Musicali and its leader, Nicolas Achten, shed light on the various layers of 17th century music, from several national origins, that came together to generate Purcell's unique style. Consider the attractive performance of O solitude! (track 3), which bends a long Continental ground bass tradition to a distinctively British mood of melancholy (even if the original poem was French). It's very affectingly done here, and it sounds as though it could have come out of a Monteverdi opera. Generally the singing of tenor Reinoud van Mechelen succeeds in avoiding the revelation of its non-English origins, but a plummy tone impedes text intelligibility. Your mileage may vary substantially with this release, but it's hardly a "historical performance."
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Reinoud Van Mechelen, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Reinoud Van Mechelen, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Scherzi Musicali, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Laura Pok, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Laura Pok, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Reinoud Van Mechelen, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Laura Pok, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Reinoud Van Mechelen, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Laura Pok, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Scherzi Musicali, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Reinoud Van Mechelen, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Laura Pok, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Scherzi Musicali, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Scherzi Musicali, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Nicolas Achten, Performer - Lambert Colson, Performer - Justin Glaie, Performer - Simon Linné, Performer - Solmund Nystabakk, Performer - Henry Purcell, Composer
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Album review
A good deal of ink is spilled in the booklet to this Alpha release on the question of what instruments were popular in England during Henry Purcell's lifetime at the end of the 17th century. But none of it deals with the music heard on the album, or the conditions in which it was played (some of the songs were part of dramatic works, which would have made the mixed chamber groupings here unlikely), or who might have used these instruments in performances of this kind. Thus the performance falls into the class of those that use written music merely as a stimulus to further creativity. As such, it's a bit hard to evaluate. The program is the strongest point: the arrangements (for that is really what they are) by the Belgian group Scherzi Musicali and its leader, Nicolas Achten, shed light on the various layers of 17th century music, from several national origins, that came together to generate Purcell's unique style. Consider the attractive performance of O solitude! (track 3), which bends a long Continental ground bass tradition to a distinctively British mood of melancholy (even if the original poem was French). It's very affectingly done here, and it sounds as though it could have come out of a Monteverdi opera. Generally the singing of tenor Reinoud van Mechelen succeeds in avoiding the revelation of its non-English origins, but a plummy tone impedes text intelligibility. Your mileage may vary substantially with this release, but it's hardly a "historical performance."
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 22 track(s)
- Total length: 01:13:43
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Scherzi Musicali Nicolas Achten Reinoud Van Mechelen
- Composer: Henry Purcell
- Label: Alpha Classics
- Genre: Classical
2013 Alpha Productions 2012 Alpha Productions / Scherzi Musicali
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
