Purcell: Songs & Dances Tim Mead, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien & François Lazarevitch

• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695):
• 1 Amphitryon, Z.572: Minuet - Hornpipe - Boree 03:45
• 2 Come Ye Sons of Art (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary), Z.323/5: "Strike the Viol, Touch the Lute" 03:40
• 3 "O Solitude, My Sweetest Choice", Z.406 05:21
• 4 Pavan in G Minor, Z.752 04:39
• 5 Ode for St Cecilia's Day, Z.339: "Here the Deities Approve" 04:23
• 6 The Old Bachelor, Z.607: Hornpipe 02:17
• 7 Love's Goddess Sure Was Blind (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary), Z.331: May Her Blest Example Chase - Jig [Tune: "Hey Boys, up Go We"] & Suite for Strings in G Major, Z.770: Borry 03:11
• 8 King Arthur, Z.628: "Fairest Isle" 04:19
• 9 King Arthur, Z.628: "What Power Art Thou" 02:46
• 10 The Virtuous Wife, Z.611: Aire 01:10
• 11 "'Twas Within a Furlong of Edinboro' Town" (Scots Song), Z.605/2 03:14
• 12 Amphitryon, Z.572: Scotch Tune 02:06
• 13 If Ever I More Riches Did Desire, Cantata, Z.544: "Here Let My Life With as Much Silence Slide" 03:05
• 14 Fantazia Upon a Ground, Z.731 04:47
• 15 Ode for St Cecilia's Day, Z.328: "'Tis Nature's Voice" 04:49
• 16 The Married Beau, Z.603: March 01:30
• 17 Timon of Athen, Z.632: Curtain Tune 04:19
• 18 The Indian Queen, Z.630 "We the Spirits of the Air": Song Tune 01:43
• 19 The Fairy Queen, Z.629: "One Charming Night" 02:15
• 20 The Fairy Queen, Z.629: Chaconne 02:49
• Total Runtime 01:06:08

Info for Purcell: Songs & Dances

Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, guided by François Lazarevitch’s virtuoso flute, have already led us along the roads of Ireland and Scotland, notably the High Road to Kilkenny (ALPHA 234), a great success in 2016. This time, they venture into England with an essentially secular programme devoted to Henry Purcell (1659-95), varying the mood by alternating between instrumental dances and songs performed by the English countertenor Tim Mead, including ‘O Solitude’ and ‘What power art thou’. While Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien have chosen these celebrated pieces for pleasure above all, with this English programme they also fill in a new piece in their jigsaw map of the United Kingdom. At the same time, they demonstrate the musical porosity of Ireland, Scotland and England – and the atypical colours of the small string ensemble complemented by two flutes, a harp and harpsichord/lute continuo further underline the fact. The common thread, dear to Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, is that of folk music lying at the heart of art music, in a mixture of origins, practices and repertories. We can easily recognise ‘Scotch and Irish tunes’ that Purcell incorporates in his overtures, jigs, hornpipes and chaconnes. The countertenor Tim Mead punctuates the dances with songs composed for the operatic or dramatic stage or for chamber performance.

Tim Mead, counter-tenor
Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien
Francois Lazarevitch, direction

Tim Mead
is praised for his “alluring” and “consistently excellent” interpretations (New York Times). With his “rich, mellifluous sound” (Guardian), he is recognised as one of the finest across the generations of counter-tenors.

Highlights of the 2017/18 season include his debut at the Opéra National de Paris as Hamor in Handel Jephtha, a return to English National Opera as Bertarido in Handel Rodelinda, and to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Endimione in Cavalli La Calisto. In concert Mead will sing a Vivaldi programme with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, Bach cantatas with the Netherlands Bach Society, Pergolesi Stabat Mater with the Academy of Ancient Music, and Bach St John Passion at the BBC Proms.

Recent operatic highlights include Oberon in Britten A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Bergen National Opera, the title role in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten and Ottone in Handel Agrippina at Opera Vlaanderen, a reprisal of the role of Boy/Angel in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at the Bolshoi; the leading role in Theater Basel’s ‘Melancholia’ both in Basel and at the Holland Festival, and the title role Riccardo Primo at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Arsamene in Cavalli Xerse with Le Concert d’Astrée at Opéra de Lille, Theater an der Wien, and Theatre de Caen. Previous highlights include Goffredo and Eustazio Rinaldo at Glyndebourne, Endimione La Calisto at Bayerische Staatsoper, Voice of Apollo in Deborah Warner’s production of Death in Venice at English National Opera and De Nederlandse Opera, Angel/Boy in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Gulbenkian, on tour with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and in the U.S. premiere at Lincoln Center, and Tolomeo Julius Caesar at English National Opera and Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Other operatic highlights include Ottone L’incoronazione di Poppea at ENO, Opéra de Lyon, Opéra de Lille; title role Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne, title role Orlando at Scottish Opera and Chicago Opera Theater, Clearte Niobe and the world premiere of Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur for the Royal Opera House, title role Admeto at International Händel Festspiele Göttingen and the Edinburgh International Festival, Ottone Agrippina in Lille and Dijon, and in concert the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with the Akademie für Alte Musik.

On the concert platform Tim Mead has sung Messiah with the New York Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music, Le Concert d’Astree, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, Accademia Bizantina and Concerto Köln, Bach Christmas Oratorio with Les Arts Florissants, Bach Magnificat with Le Concert d’Astree, Bach St Matthew Passion with London Handel Festival and De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Bach B Minor Mass with Arcangelo, Bach cantatas with Ensemble Pygmalion, Handel Theodora with the English Concert, Handel Solomon with Akademie für Alte Musik, Handel Judas Maccabaeus with the OAE, Handel Saul with the Dresdner Barockorchester, Handel Joseph and his Brethren at the International Händel Festspiele Göttingen, Handel Semele with the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston and the CBSO, Handel Susanna with the Early Opera Company, Handel Esther with the Dunedin Consort and Dusapin La Melancholia with the SWR Sinfonieorchester. He has worked with such leading conductors as Ivor Bolton, John Butt, William Christie, Harry Christophers, Laurence Cummings, Christian Curnyn, Alan Curtis, Ottavio Dantone, Gustavo Dudamel, Richard Egarr, Jane Glover, Paul Goodwin, Emmanuelle Haïm, Jakub Hrusa, Vladimir Jurowski, Raymond Leppard, Paul McCreesh, Nicholas McGegan, Marc Minkowski, Antonio Pappano, Raphaël Pichon and Masaaki Suzuki. He has also given song recitals at the Wigmore Hall alongside pianist James Baillieu, for Les Grandes Voix in Paris with L'Arpeggiata and Christina Pluhar and at the Teatro Argentina, Rome.

Mead’s already substantial discography includes Bach St Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass, the Handel oratorios Messiah, Saul, Solomon, Israel in Egypt, and The Triumph of Time and Truth, the Handel operas Admeto, Flavio, Riccardo Primo and Rinaldo, and Monteverdi L’incoronazione di Poppea and an album featuring Bach cantatas for solo alto and Pergolesi Stabat Mater. He has recorded for EMI Classics, Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion, Opus Arte, Chandos, Linn Records amongst others.

Mead read Music as a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, before winning a number of scholarships to continue his vocal studies at the Royal College of Music.

This album contains no booklet.