Purcell - the Fairy Queen, 1692

Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Anna Dennis (soprano), Mhairi Lawson (soprano), Ashley Riches (bass-baritone), Roderick Williams (baritone) & Ensemble Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh.

Het Dorset Garden Theatre was een van de Londense zalen waar de typisch Engelse vorm van semiopera met veel succes werd gecultiveerd, omdat het bijzonder fraai en uitgebreid was. Purcells samenwerking met dit theater begon in 1690 en eindigde met zijn al te vroege dood in 1695. Tegen die tijd had hij bijna voorbeeldige voorbeelden van dit genre geproduceerd, waarvan The Fairy Queen (gebaseerd op Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) zeker een van de mooiste werken is. De Engelse dirigent Paul McCreesh en zijn Gabrieli Consort & Players presenteren hier op SIGNUM CLASSICS een eersteklas opname van Purcells meesterwerk, die zich strikt houdt aan de eerste uitvoeringsversie uit 1692.

Purcell:
 The Fairy Queen, Z629

"The flexible interactions between nine soloists (with three additional singers in choruses) is impeccable...Sampson’s gossamer-like ‘Ye gentle spirits of the air’ is accompanied with imagination and tact by harpsichordist Jan Waterfield...Even if a splash more extrovert energy and tauter speeds here and there might have yielded more theatrical fizz, McCreesh’s labour of love has abundant nuances and transcendent beauty."
Gramophone Magazine - June 2020

"For [McCreesh's] work there can again be nothing but praise, from the subtle subdued hues produced by his strings, set up and bowed in accord with 17th-century practice, to the gossamer-like touch he brings to so much of the score...All the singing recognizes that Purcell’s performers were actor-singers, their diction and enunciation being notable for a strong sense of communication that could serve as an exemplar to others."
Opera - June 2020

"McCreesh’s production rises to the occasion: original voicing, unorthodox continuo, project-specific trumpet design and rediscovered string techniques bring out qualities missing from earlier recordings. The choir transforms on command from a lightly teasing ensemble to a thundering chorus…Singers’ additions, which stand out gloriously against a plucked-string-only accompaniment, cause amorous solos to ooze desire…Extremes, as McCreesh shows, belong to the fantastic worlds of The Fairy Queen."
BBC Music Magazine - July 2020 *****

"I’m putting McCreesh’s Fairy Queen near the top of my favorites list because of its refinement of mood and atmosphere, the perfectly effortless execution of vocal decorations, and the conductor’s masterly musicianship. Signum’s recorded sound is everything it could be; full texts and extensive program notes are provided."
Fanfare - September/October 2020