The Classical Music Recommendation Thread

RWPossum · 06-05-2011, 12:31 AM

I don't understand why Henry Purcell is not universally regarded as one of the truly great Baroque composers. Maybe he's popular in the UK and other countries, but here in the US, it seems that the stations never play him. I'd never heard of him until a few years ago when I listened to a King's Consort CD with Purcell's "O fair Cedaria" sung by Barbara Bonney. The song came to me from time to time, but I forgot the composer's name. Recently, I discovered two Purcell operas, Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen, which is based on A Midsummer Night's Dream. There are You Tube excerpts from both operas. In particular I recommend excerpts from The Fairy Queen performed at Glyndebourne Festival, conducted by William Christie. Purcell is sublime and earthy. "Come away, fellow sailors" in his tragedy Dido and Aeneas may be unique in Baroque music, a number about drunken sailors on shore leave.

06-05-2011, 12:31 AM	#11 (permalink)
RWPossum Groupie Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 1	I don't understand why Henry Purcell is not universally regarded as one of the truly great Baroque composers. Maybe he's popular in the UK and other countries, but here in the US, it seems that the stations never play him. I'd never heard of him until a few years ago when I listened to a King's Consort CD with Purcell's "O fair Cedaria" sung by Barbara Bonney. The song came to me from time to time, but I forgot the composer's name. Recently, I discovered two Purcell operas, Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen, which is based on A Midsummer Night's Dream. There are You Tube excerpts from both operas. In particular I recommend excerpts from The Fairy Queen performed at Glyndebourne Festival, conducted by William Christie. Purcell is sublime and earthy. "Come away, fellow sailors" in his tragedy Dido and Aeneas may be unique in Baroque music, a number about drunken sailors on shore leave. Last edited by RWPossum; 06-05-2011 at 12:43 AM.