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John Blow: Venus and Adonis

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 3 May 2010

The true stars here are the band, led by Elizabeth Kenny, which extemporises and pushes tempos to giddy extremes. Elin Manahan Thomas steps boldly into Cupid's role, alternating deftly between... — BBC Music Magazine, May 2011, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 31st Jan 2011
Catalogue No: WHLIVE0043
Label: Wigmore Hall Live
Length: 74 minutes

Blow: Amphion Anglicus: Cloe found Amintas lying

Work length6:23

$1.05

$1.30

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

Blow: Ground in G Minor

Work length4:02

$1.05

$1.30

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

Lambert, M: Airs à une, II, III & IV parties avec la basse continue: Vos mespris chaque jour

Work length3:41

$1.05

$1.30

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

Visée: Suite in G Major: VI. Chaconne

Work length5:16

$1.05

$1.30

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

Excerpt, Blow: Venus and Adonis

Work length3:37

$1.05

$1.30

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

Overture

Track length3:37

$1.05

$1.30

Blow: Venus and Adonis, Prologue

Work length10:47

$3.70

$4.55

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

"Behold my arrows and my bow" (Cupid)

Track length7:00

$1.60

$1.95

Cupid's Entry

Track length1:14

$1.05

$1.30

Tune for Flutes

Track length2:33

$1.05

$1.30

Blow: Venus and Adonis, Act 1

Work length12:03

$5.25

$6.50

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

"Venus!" (Adonis)

Track length2:27

$1.05

$1.30

Hunters' Music

Track length3:51

$1.05

$1.30

"Come follow, follow to the noblest game" (Chorus)

Track length2:32

$1.05

$1.30

A Dance by a Huntsman

Track length1:19

$1.05

$1.30

Act Tune

Track length1:54

$1.05

$1.30

Blow: Venus and Adonis, Act 2

Work length29:10

$13.15

$16.25

Theatre of the Ayre, Elizabeth Kenny, Elin Manahan Thomas, Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams

"You place with such delightful care" (Cupid)

Track length1:56

$1.05

$1.30

The Cupids' Lesson

Track length3:03

$1.05

$1.30

A Dance of the Cupids

Track length1:28

$1.05

$1.30

"Call the Graces" (Venus)

Track length1:08

$1.05

$1.30

"Mortals below, Cupids above" (Chorus of the Graces)

Track length1:22

$1.05

$1.30

The Graces' Dance

Track length1:26

$1.05

$1.30

Gavatt

Track length0:46

$1.05

$1.30

Saraband for the Graces

Track length1:22

$1.05

$1.30

A Ground

Track length1:52

$1.05

$1.30

Act Tune

Track length2:39

$1.05

$1.30

"Adonis!" (Venus)

Track length5:03

$1.05

$1.30

"With solemn pomp let mourning Cupids bear" (Venus)

Track length7:05

$1.60

$1.95

About
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About

The author of the libretto of Venus & Adonis, the oldest surviving all-sung English opera (1683), had the simple moniker of “anonymous,” until recent research uncovered the true librettist to be not only female, but also maid of honour to the Duchess of York, Maria Beatrice of Modena. In penning Venus & Adonis, Anne Kingsmill (1661-1720) used her inside knowledge to comment on court morals with staggering directness, incorporating strands of comedy, sexual politics and passionate love.

For this recording of Venus & Adonis on Wigmore Hall Live, Elizabeth Kenny, one of Europe’s leading lute players and founder of the Theatre of the Ayre, has, for the first time, used girl choristers in the chorus and females rather than boys in the roles of Cupid and Little Cupids. The critically-lauded Theatre of the Ayre was set up to explore the dramatic vocal music of 17th century England and this performance, with its distinctive female perspective and improvisatory nature apt to Blow’s recitative style, is a faithful interpretation. The distinguished vocal line-up includes Sophie Daneman, Roderick Williams and Elin Manahan Thomas. Venus & Adonis later served as a model for Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and in this new recording - alongside Lambert’s excerpts from Livre d’airs de cour and de Visée’s Chaconne - it demands attention as a masterpiece in its own right.

Artists

Theatre of the Ayre: Rachel Podger, Clare Salaman (violins), Galina Zinchenko (viola), Alison McGillivray (bass violin and viol), Pamela Thorby, Kate Latham, Merlin Harrison (recorders), David Miller (theorboes/guitars), James Johnstone (harpsichord) & Elizabeth Kenny (director/theorbo/guitar), Venus Sophie Daneman (Venus), Roderick Williams (Adonis), Elin Manahan Thomas (Cupid), Helen Neeves (soprano, shepherdess), Caroline Sartin (alto, shepherd), Jason Darnell (tenor, huntsman), Frederick Long (bass, Cupids, from Salisbury Cathedral School: Grace Beverley, Flora Davies, Kelly Frost, Hermione Leitch, Rebecca Lyles, Helena Mackie, Georgiana Roxburgh, Rosanna Wicks

Reviews

May 2011

The true stars here are the band, led by Elizabeth Kenny, which extemporises and pushes tempos to giddy extremes. Elin Manahan Thomas steps boldly into Cupid's role, alternating deftly between the arch, the tender and the impassioned in a subtly nuanced performance.

May 2011

Sophie Daneman delivers the recitative expressively, and rises magnificently to the challenge of Venus's despair. Adonis, less wimpish than Purcell's Aeneas, is sung with forthright, virile tone by Roderick Williams...Under Elizabeth Kenny's direction, the ensemble of strings and recorders shapes the dances gracefully.

May 2011

Sophie Daneman is a languid Venus and Roderick Williams is an ardent Adonis. Elin Manahan Thomas is an ideally light Cupid...Jason Darnell's virile Huntsman is a bit of a shock when he hurls out plenty of top Bs during a short passage but his contributions possess plenty of characterful verve...Not just a nice document of a good concert but a fine recording in its own right.

April 2011

If anything could convince me that it was indeed a masterpiece, it would be a performance such as this one, refined, sparkling and intelligent as it is...Sophie Daneman is outstanding as Venus, both in the careless comic moments and in the magnificent final lament...the Theatre of the Ayre turns in a highly impressive performance, by turns subtle and powerful, rhythmically slick and very well balanced.

10th March 2011

Sophie Daneman and Roderick Williams make a sensuous pair of lovers

The Independent on Sunday 6th March 2011

Sophie Daneman and Roderick Williams are the lovers, while Elin Manahan Thomas leads the little Cupids (the girls of Salisbury Cathedral choir) in their ABC. Decoration is free and elegant, the accompanying programme of dances and songs (including Lambert's Vos mépris and De Visée's Chaconne) deliciously seductive.

John Blow: Venus and Adonis

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