Purcell: Ten Sonatas in Four Parts (1697)

This release marks a new collaboration between Linn Records and Retrospect Ensemble.

Released to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the birth of “Henry Purcell: Ten Sonata’s in Four Parts”, is performed by Retrospect Trio, a group formed under the umbrella of the larger Retrospect brand. The release date will coincide with the launch of Retrospect, formerly known as The King’s Consort.

This recording explores the timeless beauty of Purcell’s first set of sonatas including the magnificent Sonata IX, known as 'The Golden Sonata'.

The Ten Sonata’s in Four Parts (published after Purcell's death in 1697) provide a fascinating insight into the cosmopolitan and often conflicting stylistic tastes of English musicians in the latter part of the seventeenth century.

Purcell blends the significant French, Italian and English influences including unique use of counterpoint, unusual and exotic dissonances and strikingly abrupt melodic changes of direction.

The name Retrospect Trio acknowledges the common practice of not recognising the continuo presence in either the title of the pieces or the performing group.

The four members of the group, Sophie Gent (violin), Matthew Truscott (violin), Jonathan Manson (bass viol) and Matthew Halls (harpsichord / organ, are all distinguished international performers in their own right with a shared passion for historically-informed music-making.

Matthew Halls was Associate Director (2005-2007) and Artistic Director (2007-2009) of The King’s Consort before taking up his position as Artistic Director of Retrospect Ensemble.

“Henry Purcell: Ten Sonata’s in Four Parts” is a fitting tribute to Purcell by four superstar baroque instrumentalists and the first recording in the highly anticipated Retrospect Ensemble series.

Such was his renown in the musical world ('one of the most celebrated Masters of the Science of Musick in the Kingdom and scarce inferior to any in Europe'), when Henry Purcell tragically died aged only 36 in 1695, he was essentially afforded a state funeral. This collection brings together the composer's complete works for strings.

Showing Purcell's success as a cutting-edge composer, both sets of sonatas showcase the contrapuntal technique with which he would become so intimately linked, demonstrating the techniques that Purcell detailed in John Playford's The Introduction to the Skill of Musick of 1694.

The act of pushing the boundaries of composition here is in stark contrast to the Fantasias, which resurrected a form that had been long since forgotten. The use of the viol - rather than its more modern counterpart, the violin - is also a curious choice, but this series of works may in fact be the last written for viol consort. Among them in this special collection is the magnificent 'Golden Sonata' as well as the 'One Note Fantasia', in which the tenor viol plays a sustained middle C for the entire piece, perhaps showing Purcell's impish sense of humour, with the part being intended for a particularly unskilled player.

The works are performed by Musica Amphion, a group dedicated to performing works of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments. The ensemble was formed in 1993 by harpsichordist Pieter-Jan Belder and the leader is violinist Rémy Baude, who is also concertmaster of Frans Brüggen's Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.

A rare treat: no less than 7 CDs with instrumental chamber music by Henry Purcell. In spite of his past and present international fame too little attention has been paid to this part of his oeuvre. This collection offers a great variety: from ‘the Staircase overture’ to voluntaries for organ.

Henry Purcell’s present fame is mainly based on some dramatic works. Dido and Aeneas -, his anthems and numerous songs. In his relatively short life he managed to compose in every genre usual at the time. Well hidden among a vast amount of vocal music lies a relatively small collection of chamber music pieces. Together with Handel Henry Purcell was and is England’s most important baroque composer. He was also an organist and as such left behind remarkable little for his instrument. Pieter-Jan Belder - the keyboard player who also recorded the complete Scarlatti sonatas - combined this with Purcell’s varied music for harpsichord, which includes eight suites. Here (together with) his ensemble Musica Amphion (he) also performs the bulk of Purcell’s chamber music: listen and enjoy.

Known as the ‘English Orpheus’, Henry Purcell, born in London in 1659, began his career as a chorister in the Chapel Royal, an appointment that was to mark the start of his life‐long commitment to the monarchy. Today his music occupies a central position in British culture and is celebrated for its exquisite word‐setting, abundant use of expression and attractive melody; comprising 16 CDs, this compilation pays homage to a composer who, in spite of assimilating the then predominant French and Italian styles, was able to create a uniquely English form of Baroque music.

The collection effectively traces the length and breadth of Purcell’s output, from the many sacred works he was required to provide for state occasion and worship (‘Hear My Prayer, O Lord’ and ‘Hail! bright Cecilia’, among others) to secular instrumental and vocal music, written for domestic pleasure as well as the theatre.

Semi‐operas, anthems, odes, suites, songs, fantasias: Purcell’s oeuvre was a vast and pioneering one – all the more impressive in view of his untimely death – and the collection presents a selection of his most famous creations (Dido and Aeneas, for example whose first known performance was at a girls’ boarding school in Chelsea) alongside works which are not so widely known.

With its veritable Astar list of performers and ensembles, this is the perfect compilation for anyone wishing to explore Purcell’s music in greater depth. Who knows what else Purcell may have achieved, had he lived beyond the tender age of 36: this collection is a testament to his indefatigable genius, one which Britain lacked until the arrival of Elgar two centuries later.