Purcell: Plainte - O, Let Me Weep (from The Fairy Queen, Z629)

“Arcangelo's instrumental playing is reliably interesting, sometimes too interesting (Jonathan Cohen is not a 'less is more' director)...Prohaska's real talent is for the the earthy, wordy, rhythmically and emotionally multivalent declamations of Cavalli and Monteverdi...Lamento della ninfa is the standout performance, brilliantly characterised by Prohaska...this is more like an opera compressed into mere minutes.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 ****

“Prohaska has a strong-centred voice with a slightly dark colouring which is striking in itself...the more outgoing and technically demanding Handel and Vivaldi arias certainly come off effectively, with Prohaska's sometimes unconventional ornamentation adding a characterful twist” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“She's wonderful in 17th-century music, spinning out the lines of a Purcell chaconne and negotiating Cavalli's recitatives-cum-ariosos with impeccable understanding and style. When she turns to Handel and Vivaldi, however, the sensitivity of her singing gives way to a heavyweight athleticism, and the results are altogether less appealing. Arcangelo under Jonathan Cohen are breathtaking throughout.” The Guardian, 11th April 2013 ***

“superlative backing from Jonathan Cohen’s instrumental group Arcangelo. In a programme ranging from Monteverdi to Handel the plus points are delicate tone, exuberant ornamentation and echo effects in a wonderful Cavalli aria. But her English consonants don’t have enough bite in Purcell and her mannered glissandi need ruthless suppression.” The Times, 16th March 2013 ***

“For historical accuracy, she plays the valve-less “natural” trumpet: it really does appear to offer a more direct access to the human voice, a quality confirmed when she duets with countertenor Iestyn Davies” The Independent, 13th October 2012 ****

“The music is glorious; so is Balsom’s artistry as she weaves a flawless path alongside Trevor Pinnock’s English Concert” The Times, 19th October 2012 ***

“when the instrument is played as fluidly agreeably as it is here, nobody could doubt that it is the right tool for the job...And it all works. This is rattling good music, and so easily does the trumpet fit into it that often it is hard to recall what the original scorings were anyway. Balsom, too, sounds utterly at home...and [is] wonderfully backed by the English Concert and the bright natural musicianship of Trevor Pinnock” Gramophone Magazine, December 2012

“Her distinctive tone remains clearly recognisable, despite the instrument's limitations. The timbre is sweeter, less aggressively strident than that of the modern trumpet, and she’s paired with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, providing crisp, bouncy support.” The Arts Desk, 1st December 2012

“Up at the top of her range, or down below, fast or slow, she is in superb control and form...the lightness of the string accompaniments, the calm attention to springy rhythms, the unobtrusive sensitivity of the phrasing, all done without exaggerated emphasis or anachronistic flamboyance, are a sheer delight...[Pinnock] is surely a national treasure” International Record Review, December 2012

“This charming disc contains some of the most imaginative and polished trumpet playing you're ever likely to hear...Born-again authenticists may cavil at Balsom's vented trumpet, a modern development aiding intonation. But her flexible tuning, scrupulously focused to blend with the harmony, is a relief from the compromised tuning needed to play certain notes on true 18th-century instruments.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2013 *****

“the music-making is a joy from beginning to end. Alison Balsom’s playing is stunning. The tone and intonation are fabulous; the lip trills, ornaments and runs simply staggering. How she achieves this level of technical assurance on an instrument without valves is remarkable...Crowe’s rendition of The Plaint from Purcell’s The Fairy Queen is sensitively and beautifully sung and it’s obvious that there’s an equal musical partnership captured here” MusicWeb International, April 2013

“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

“The 16 Purcell songs and airs in this recital, some familiar, some rarely heard, are arranged in a pleasing order for continuous listening but, of course, can be selected or re-arranged at the touch of a CD button. Emma Kirkby's pure white tone is a joy throughout, her diction immaculate and her technique equal to all the demands of Purcell's many notes to a word... with nice decorations in repeated passages.” Gramophone Magazine

“James Bowman must surely be the finest vocal interpreter of Purcell today. His grasp of sentiment, his sense of timing, and his enunciation, are unsurpassed” Gramophone Magazine

“Hassler's pure tone, delicate decorations, easy phrasing and profound connection to the poetry are complemented by La Rêveuse's ensemble of violins, triple harp, organ, harpsichord and theorbo.” The Independent on Sunday

“Taylor Bowman…complement each other as perfectly as coffee and cream. A close-recorded perspective ensure the words cut through with compelling detail.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2008 ****

“James Bowman has been around for decades, whereas Daniel Taylor is a comparative newcomer; despite the age difference, they are equals in all respects. They are heard together in "Sound the trumpet" and "In vain the am'rous flute", the fullness of Bowman's voice nicely offset by Taylor's leaner tones.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2008