Bal 4.02.23 - Purcell: The Fairy Queen

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30am
Building a Library: Purcell’s Fairy Queen with Nicholas Kenyon.
Purcell’s magnum opus was written as a series of masques to be performed at the end of the acts of a special version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Arguably the greatest British composer before the 20th century, Purcell left us a tantalizing array of music for use in theatrical productions, which shows what an unsurpassed gift he had for matchings words and mood with music. Apart from the small-scale masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas, none of these pieces quite hangs together as a satisfying work of music theatre. The Fairy Queen is the closest we have to that. Written in a hybrid form of spoken drama and masque, it is notoriously difficult to bring off on the stage. But it is ideal for home listening. Nicholas Kenyon sifts through a strong field of some of the greatest names in baroque performance.

Available versions:-

James Bowman, Peter Pears, Mary Wells, Ian Partridge, John Shirley-Quirk, Norma Burrowes, Alfreda Hodgson, Jennifer Vyvyan, Charles Brett, Owen Brannigan, English Chamber Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Benjamin Britten *

Lucy Crowe, Claire Debono, Anna Devin, Helen-Jane Howells, Carolyn Sampson, Robert Burt, Sean Clayton, Ed Lyon, Adrian Ward, Lukas Kargl, Desmond Barrit, Andrew Foster-Williams, Glyndebourne Chorus & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, William Christie (DVD/Blu-ray)

Ann Murray, Lorna Anderson, Gillian Fisher, John Mark Ainsley, Michael Chance, Richard Suart, Ian Partridge, Michael George, The Sixteen, Harry Christophers

Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone *

Eiddwen Harrhy, Jennifer Smith, Judith Nelson, Elisabeth Priday, Timothy Penrose, Wynford Evans, Martyn Hill, Stephen Varcoe, Ashley Stafford, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner *

Barbara Bonney, Sylvia McNair, Elisabeth von Magnus, Michael Chance, Concentus musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Samuel Boden, Hjördis Thébault, Caroline Mutel, Christophe Baska, Guillaume Andrieux, Julien Picard, Kevin Greenlaw, Virginie Pochon, Ronan Nédélec, Caitlin Hulcup, Anders J. Dahlin, Frédéric Caton, Les Nouveaux Caractères, Sébastien d’Hérin

Deller Consort, Penelope Howard (vinyl)

Yvonne Kenny, Thomas Randle, Simon Rice, Richard Van Allan, Chorus and Orchestra of the English National Opera, Nicholas Kok (DVD)

Thomas Hemsley, Jennifer Vyvyan, Elsie Morison, Peter Pears, St. Anthony Singers, Boyd Neel Orchestra, Anthony Lewis

Carolyn Sampson, Anna Dennis, Mhairi Lawson, Ashley Riches, Roderick Williams, Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh

Armonico Consort, Christopher Monks

Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, Catherine Pierard, Susan Bickley, Howard Crook, Mark Padmore, David Wilson-Johnson, Schütz Choir of London, London Classical Players, Sir Roger Norrington

Scholars Bartoque Ensemble

(* = download only)

[oddoneout]

So do away with the stage!

https://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/05/operas-other-ring.html

This also happens to be rather topical given the ACE opera funding controversies.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

So do away with the stage!

https://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/05/operas-other-ring.html

This also happens to be rather topical given the ACE opera funding controversies.

Opera North has been doing it for some time.

[MickyD]

I have another William Christie/Les Arts Florissants version on CD, recorded in the 90s for Harmonia Mundi, and great fun it is, too. A pity if it's no longer available.

[Pulcinella]

The Scholars Bartoque Ensemble version Alpie lists looks intriguing: a Franco–Hungarian take on the piece?


(I see that that's how it features in Presto's listings: no blame attaches to Alpie!)

[smittims]

A once well-known 'version' was Benjamin Britten's attempt to make the work manageable within a concert format, done originally for the Aldeburgh Festival. Forgetting the original staging, he re-ordered the music into four groups corresponding to themes and moods of the words, e.g. 'Oberon's Birthday' and 'Night and Silence'. About a third of Purcell's music was omitted.

It met a varied response, despite the quality of the singig and playing. One wit even proposed a similar restructuring of 'Peter Grimes' just to make the point about tampering with another composer's work.

I was sorry to see that when the Decca recording was reissued in a 2-disc set with Britten's version of 'Dido and Aeneas' no mention was made that it was not Purcell's complete and original version.

[RichardB]

A once well-known 'version' was Benjamin Britten's attempt to make the work manageable within a concert format, done originally for the Aldeburgh Festival. Forgetting the original staging, he re-ordered the music into four groups corresponding to themes and moods of the words, e.g. 'Oberon's Birthday' and 'Night and Silence'. About a third of Purcell's music was omitted.

It met a varied response, despite the quality of the singig and playing. One wit even proposed a similar restructuring of 'Peter Grimes' just to make the point about tampering with another composer's work.

I can see the point of doing that, although it would have been better not to lose any of Purcell's music. And it isn't really the same as reordering an opera since The Fairy Queen isn't intended to have any narrative continuity of its own. Failing a production of the complete play with Purcell in the interstices as originally produced, surely it's acceptable to present the music in whatever order gives it most expressive sense and impact. (Maybe I would like Peter Grimes if it were reordered, but that's just me!)

[Wolfram]

A once well-known 'version' was Benjamin Britten's attempt to make the work manageable within a concert format, done originally for the Aldeburgh Festival. Forgetting the original staging, he re-ordered the music into four groups corresponding to themes and moods of the words, e.g. 'Oberon's Birthday' and 'Night and Silence'. About a third of Purcell's music was omitted.

It met a varied response, despite the quality of the singig and playing. One wit even proposed a similar restructuring of 'Peter Grimes' just to make the point about tampering with another composer's work.

I was sorry to see that when the Decca recording was reissued in a 2-disc set with Britten's version of 'Dido and Aeneas' no mention was made that it was not Purcell's complete and original version.

It’s worth hearing for Jennifer Vyvyan’s contribution.

I expect McCreesh will figure strongly. I have just listened to Harry Christophers which I really enjoyed; Gillian Fisher and Ann Murray both really excellent.

I had Christie’s cd version once, but can’t seem to find it at the moment.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Scholars Bartoque Ensemble version Alpie lists looks intriguing: a Franco–Hungarian take on the piece?


(I see that that's how it features in Presto's listings: no blame attaches to Alpie!)

I did wonder about it.

[Lordgeous]

"It’s worth hearing for Jennifer Vyvyan’s contribution."

Anything featuring Jennifer Vyvyan is worth hearing IMHO.

[Darloboy]

Previous BaL choices:

Graham Sadler - Jan 94: Christophers + Scholars Baroque as Budget Price recommendation

Simon Heighes - Sep 11: Christie as DVD choice; Christophers as CD Choice. The Britten version & Savall’s version of the orchestral suite were also mentioned.

[smittims]

Yes, I return to the Britten recording as often as I do to the Anthony Lewis, which remains the classic version for me.

[Darloboy]

Previous BaL choices:

Graham Sadler - Jan 94: Christophers + Scholars Baroque as Budget Price recommendation

Simon Heighes - Sep 11: Christie as DVD choice; Christophers as CD Choice. The Britten version & Savall’s version of the orchestral suite were also mentioned.

I should add that there was a BaL on Purcell's stage works presented by Roderick Swanston in June 1998. He picked Christie's Harmonia Mundi CD as his choice for The Fairy Queen. Incidentally, that Christie DVD/Blu Ray is a fantastic Glyndebourne production directed by Jonathan Kent.

[BBMmk2]

I’ll be looking forward to this. I do rather like this work.

[visualnickmos]

I’ll be looking forward to this. I do rather like this work.

You appear to be the only one!