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Henry Purcell: Pausanius, the Betrayer of his Country, Z. 585
Pausanius, the Betrayer of his Country, Z. 585: Sweeter than roses
Henry Purcell: The fatal hour comes on apace, Z. 421
The fatal hour comes on apace, Z. 421
Henry Purcell: When First Amintas Sued for a Kiss, Z. 430
When First Amintas Sued for a Kiss, Z. 430
Henry Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629, Act V: The Plaint: O let me weep
Henry Purcell: The Indian Queen, Z. 630
The Indian Queen, Z. 630, Act IV: They Tell Us That You Mighty Powers Above
Henry Purcell: The Mock Marriage, Z. 605: Man is for the Woman Made
The Mock Marriage, Z. 605: Man is for the Woman Made
Henry Purcell: From Silent Shades, Z. 370
From Silent Shades, Z. 370
Henry Purcell: Oedipus, King of Thebes, Z. 583
Oedipus, Z. 583: Music for a While
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629, Act IV: Now the Night is Chas'd Away
Henry Purcell: If music be the food of love, Z. 379
If Music be the Food of Love, Z. 379
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629, Act V: Epithalamium: Thrice happy lovers
Henry Purcell: Of old when heroes thought it base, Z. 333, "Yorkshire Feast Song": No. 4. The Bashful Thames
Of old when heroes thought it base, Z. 333, "Yorkshire Feast Song": No. 4. The Bashful Thames
The Indian Queen, Z. 630
The Indian Queen, Z. 630, Act III: I Attempt from Love's Sickness to Fly in Vain
Henry Purcell: Oh! Fair Cedaria, hide those eyes, Z. 402
Oh! Fair Cedaria, hide those eyes, Z. 402
Henry Purcell: King Arthur, Z. 628, "The British Worthy"
King Arthur, Z. 628, Act V: Fairest Isle
Henry Purcell: O solitude, my sweetest choice, Z. 406
O solitude, my sweetest choice , Z. 406
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629, Act III: If Love's a Sweet Passion
Henry Purcell: Tell me, some pitying angel, Z. 196, "The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation"
Tell me, some pitying angel, Z. 196, "The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation"
Henry Purcell: Now that the sun hath veiled his light, Z. 193, "An Evening Hymn on a Ground"
Now that the sun hath veiled his light, Z. 193, "An Evening Hymn on a Ground"
December 2007
****
“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.”
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.”
“Her tone is extraordinarily beautiful: natural, warm and unforced, with almost superhuman vocal athleticism”
2010
“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.”
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Pausanius, the Betrayer of his Country, Z. 585: Sweeter than roses
