Purcell: If love's a sweet passion (from The Fairy Queen, Z628)

“Carolyn Sampson's luminescent soprano, with its easeful enunciation, seemingly instinctive ornamentation, and total lack of self-consciousness captures the bittersweet 'affects' of 'Sweeter than Roses', relishes the shifting tones of voice in the long nocturnal, 'From silent shades', and glows against a single theorbo accompaniment in the great 'Evening Hymn'. The instrumental palette, though limited, is exquisitely tuned to Sampson's voice and to the character of each piece.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 ****

“It is immediately obvious from the first few songs that this disc is truly special. Carolyn Sampson's singing is deliciously enjoyable for its sweet tuning, flawless intonation, impeccable stylishness, shapely phrasing of melodic lines and textural awareness.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2007

“Her tone is extraordinarily beautiful: natural, warm and unforced, with almost superhuman vocal athleticism” American Record Guide

“It is immediately obvious from the first few songs that this disc is truly special. Carolyn Sampson's singing is deliciously enjoyable for its sweet tuning, flawless intonation, impeccable stylishness, shapely phrasing of melodic lines and textual awareness. Each of these 19 songs, mostly taken from Purcell's operas and music for theatre plays, are given judicious performances.
The programme admirably shows the variety of characteristics and styles in Purcell's writing, and Sampson achieves the perfect degree of joyful radiance, seductiveness, witty comment or bittersweet melancholy in each song. 'Sweeter than roses' is an old warhorse for early music singers, but the poetry has seldom seemed so personal as it does in Sampson's heart-rending rendition. The Plaint from TheFairy Queen is beautifully done and the line 'he's gone and I shall never see him more' is remarkable for its stylish precision and emotional truthfulness (the performance is also notable for Sarah Sexton's superb solo violin-playing).
The supporting players always sound as if they are fully interested in the subtle nuances of the music. Well known favourites such as 'Music for a while', 'Fairest isle' and 'I attempt from love's sickness to fly' are excellently done, but several of the relatively obscure songs ('The fatal hour' and 'From silent shades') are shown to be equally rewarding and engaging. First-class new recordings of Purcell's music are much too rare, and this one deserves to be an enormous success.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Alla reveals herself as what these days could almost be termed an 'old-fashioned' early music singer, which is to say bell-like in tone and fearless in the use of non-vibrato...she shows impressive agility in the passagework of 'Date serta' but in general she still needs to take greater interpretative command and find a more generous way of shaping phrases.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2012

“It's heartening to hear a German ensemble perform Purcell...with such conviction. Dorothee Mields is a fine soprano who is as confident in the melismas of "Sweeter than roses" as she is heartfelt in the broken phrases of 'O let me weep"; and, on the whole, her English is excellent.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2010

“Mields has barely a hint of an accent, and is marvellously expressive throughout, suggesting more than a passing familiarity with the English language...The instrumental playing...also has much to recommend it.” International Record Review, September 2010

“…the elegant phrasing and sumptuous tonal character of the Paragon Quartet's playing… combines the warm intimacy of a viol consort with the fruit richness of shawms and crumhorns. Zazzo has one of the most flawless, beautifully-controlled voices you could wish to hear. ...his sound and technique rival even Scholl's and his diction is excellent in this astute mixture of familiar and lesser-known pieces.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2007 ****

“Zazzo's interpretation of the text and tasteful shaping of melody would grace any kind of performance style, and it is intriguing to hear some tenderly realised polyphonic lines delineated by the Paragon Saxophone Quartet. Byrd's "Lullaby" and Gibbon's "The Silver Swan" get an attractive alternative life here. ...a rare example of successfully reinventing "early" music.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2007