Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (c. 1659–1695) was an English organist and composer of the middle Baroque. His sacred music, theatre songs, instrumental works and the opera Dido and Aeneas shaped a distinctly English Baroque style.
He wrote semi-operas including King Arthur and The Fairy-Queen, coronation anthems, royal birthday odes, funeral music for Queen Mary, trio sonatas, keyboard grounds and a large body of songs still central to the English vocal repertoire. His works are catalogued with Z numbers after Franklin Zimmerman.
Theatre songs and chamber settings remain staples for period performers, from the lament of Dido to the trumpet sonata and the rounds and airs of the Restoration stage. A Purcell Society has issued modern editions since the nineteenth century. The wedding processional long called Purcell’s Trumpet Voluntary is in fact Clarke’s The Prince of Denmark’s March.
Compositions by Henry Purcell appear on
Shichiseki
Collaborations with violinist Miwako Abe and cellist Alister Barker sit beside solos written for Michael Kieran Harvey by Gabriella Vici and Andrián Pertout, spanning Japanese, Latin American and South Indian influences.
More Bizarre or baRock
"The hottest, hippest harpsichord in the world today," said one critic of the best-selling Bizarre or baRock. Melbourne harpsichordist Elizabeth Anderson returns with the long-awaited sequel.
The Remarkable Norman Kaye
Move Records has gathered material for this CD paying tribute to the wonderful Norman Kaye. The main focus is the musician and organist, without forgetting his acting career.
Tyrannick Love
The Orpheus Ensemble with Vivien Hamilton. Songs for soprano, harpsichord, baroque cello (viola da gamba and baroque violins on occasion), each written for famous singers and actresses in popular Restoration dramas of late 17th-century England.
Bizarre or baRock
Elizabeth Anderson explores harpsichord music across four centuries: from Conceição’s raw 17th-century battle piece and traditional Baroque repertoire to jazz, blues, Gershwin and the Beatles with drums and bass. Weird, wild, wacky and wonderful – you’ve never heard the harpsichord like this.
Historic Organs of the Barossa Valley, Vol. 1
Christopher Dearnley and John Stiller give striking performances on six historic church organs of South Australia’s Barossa Valley. A 16-page booklet traces the instruments, their builders and the music.
Baroque Trumpet and Strings
Sonatas and suites by Corelli, Torelli, Telemann, Purcell and Handel sit beside rarely heard works by Molter, Grossi and Biber, several recorded here for the first time on original instruments.
I Can Tell The World
Saucy Purcell rounds, madrigals, drinking songs, spirituals and English folk settings from one of Australia's finest choirs, directed by Douglas Lawrence.
Festival of Organ Masterpieces
Douglas Lawrence plays favourite organ repertoire on the instrument of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, spanning nearly three centuries of transcriptions and original works.
Australian Monody
The Marais Project is joined by countertenor Russell Harcourt for a collection of largely Australian songs and instrumental works, spanning light and darkness, love and loss.