Purcell: Theatre Music [Box set, Collector's Edition]

Henry Purcell (Composer), Christopher Hogwood (Conductor), James Bowman (Performer), Academy of Ancient Music (Performer), Joy Roberts (Performer), Judith Nelson (Performer), Elizabeth Lane (Performer), Prudence Lloyd (Performer), Emma Kirkby (Performer), Rogers Covey-Crump (Performer), Peter Bamber (Performer), Alan Byers (Performer), Paul Elliott (Performer), Martyn Hill (Performer), Julian Pike (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: James Bowman, Academy of Ancient Music, Joy Roberts, Judith Nelson, Elizabeth Lane, et al.
• Conductor: Christopher Hogwood
• Composer: Henry Purcell
• Audio CD (October 12, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 6
• Format: Box set, Collector's Edition
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0001Y4JHA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,348 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Odes
  • #58 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > H to L
  • #61 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Baroque (c.1600-1750) > Composers > Purcell, Henry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine reissue of a classic set, May 24, 2006

By 

N. Chevalier (Regina, Sask. Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Purcell: Theatre Music (Audio CD)

Imagine the stupidest, most formulaic Hollywood movies you can think of: cheesy action pictures, fluffy, unfunny comedies, big but stiff epics. Now imagine that one of the greatest living composers was working in Hollywood, turning out astonishing, hauntingly beautiful and stirring musical scores for these throwaway movies. That's what you get with this set: music Henry Purcell composed for some two dozen often utterly forgettable plays (trust me--I've read a number of them!) Occasionally, when he teams up with a playwright worthy of his stature, such as John Dryden, Aphra Behn, or William Congreve, the results are even better, but for the most part you can enjoy the music here without knowing anything about the original plays.

This set originally appeared as separate LPs in the 70s and 80s, and has been long out of print. That's a pity, since Purcell spent a good deal of his short professional life in the theatre, either writing the incidental music contained on these CDs, or the music for his larger works, the semi-operas (King Arthur, The Fairy Queen, and the like). Almost all of these works are enjoyable gems; certainly, they represent a pinnacle of English 17th century music. Purcell had a genius for spinning musical gold out of the most leaden lyrics (check out his Odes and Welcome Songs on Hyperion if you don't believe me), and he does the same with the song texts in these plays.

Hogwood and the AAM offer clean, listenable performances, and the sound on these old analog discs has been cleaned up and brightened--although they were pretty good, even in the late 70s. As with most Hogwood, emotional extremes are kept to a minimum, so the "otherworldly" nature of late 17th century music, so often emphasised in more recent Baroque performances, doesn't come across here. It would be interesting to see what a group like The King's Consort would do with this music, but this set fills the major gap in the Purcell canon quite nicely.

My only beef with the reissue, as with many reissues, is that the liner notes are rather thin for a 6-cd set--the lyrics to the songs, for example, are especially missed. Still, it's a worthwhile set, and a must for fans of Purcell, English Baroque music, or anyone who just wants to experience a taste of the last days of the Restoration stage.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sound and performance, July 18, 2011

By 

J. TIMMERMAN (Lawson, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Purcell: Theatre Music (Audio CD)

Not quite complete Theatre Music but all beautifully played and recorded in very nice analogue sound. A fair amount of vocal is included unlike other recordings of Purcell's Theatre Music. All in all another triumph for Hogwood, demonstrating what a great composer Purcell was. Great value set. Augment with Tafelmusik's lovely recording of Ayres For the Theatre - King Arthur, Fairy Queen, Indian Queen, Dioclesian to complete the set (well, 99%).

5.0 out of 5 stars For the true music lover, this one should not be missed!, December 12, 2011

By 

Abel "AMY" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purcell: Theatre Music (Audio CD)

Henry Purcell is a big name in baroque vocal music. In some ways he was the forerunner of George Frederic Handel (at least as far as Handel's 'English' compositions are concerned).
Purcell left some masques (short baroque operas), lots of anthems (for saints' days, coronations, regal birthdays, et. al.), and a lot of vocal music for the theatre.
This 6-disc box set is a very neat (if not comprehensive) compilation of some of Purcell's important theatrical music, mostly vocal. The pieces are sung here by eminent British vocal artists (like Emma Kirkby, Bowman, Thomas et. al.) in the late 20th century. This is undoubtedly an authentic tribute to Purcell's works, under the direction of Christopher Hogwood.
If you are a vocal student learning Purcell's songs, this box set may be of considerable value for your learning to build up of your vocal repertoire. Otherwise, this box set makes great listening, and for baroque music lovers one should not miss the important works of Henry Purcell, who vocal compositions are on par with Vivaldi's in every respect.