Purcell: Fantazias
Show recording detailsBI 2583
Purcell: Fantazias
Label Catalogue Number:
BIS-2583
BIS-2583
Running Time: 01:00:27
Release Date: December 2021
Originally recorded in 2020
Genre:
Classical
Classical
This item is temporarily unavailable.
About
At the age of 20, Henry Purcell entered his 14 Fantasias and two In Nomines into an autograph bearing the title ‘The Works of Hen; Purcell, A.D. 1680’. Despite his youth Purcell was already making his mark as a composer, writing music for the London theatres and holding posts at Westminster Abbey and at court. But unlike his works for the theatre and the church, which were intended for specific occasions, very little is known about the impulse behind fantasias. Composed for between three and seven parts they are a consciously anachronistic distillation of an old style at a time when the reigning taste was for more modern sounds – for dance-based music with lively rhythms and hummable tunes. It isn’t even clear what kind of ensemble they were intended for: given the association with older music, one might assume that Purcell had viols in mind, but the distribution of the parts is not always in keeping with the standard sizes of the viol consort – nor for that matter those of the violin consort. Were the fantasias in fact ever performed? None of these questions has a satisfactory answer, and in this respect the Purcell Fantasias resemble Bach’s The Art of the Fugue, because of their quality and inventiveness but also owing to the mysteries that surround them. The collection is here performed by Chelys Consort of Viols, following up on three previous and acclaimed releases on BIS featuring the music of Michael East, John Dowland and Christopher Simpson.
Please login to post a review
Reviews
Highly Recommended
“…The Chelys Consort give excellent performances – superb ensemble and phrasing is
to be highly commended…”
Em Marshall-Luck – Spirited Magazine 2023 (Issue 23) – June 2023
Classic Today Recommendation
Artistic Quality 10 Sound Quality 10 Overall Impression 10
Dr Michael B. White – Klassik.heute.de – 3 March 2022
“… Whatever the music’s provenance, it is played here with such devoted skill and sensitivity, it is difficult to imagine it being rendered more persuasively.”
Julian Haylock – The Strad – March 2022
Performance ***** Recording *****
“… Chelys Consort explores the music’s expressive intimacy with a sensibility that touches our deepest thoughts and emotions… Among noteworthy recordings of the Fantasias … This newcomer, with its exploration of the music’s multilayers stylistic and affective nuances, sits comfortably alongside them. Sometimes ardent, sometimes introspective, the playing affords immense pleasure. Ideal recorded sound …”
Nicholas Anderson – BBC Music magazine – March 2022
Media Downloads
Whenever possible we provide a high resolution CD cover image and a PDF version of the CD booklet for you to download and keep.
These are found in your history if purchased and once you have logged in.