'Faces of Classical Music http://facesofclassicalmusic.blogspot.com/ • Henry Purcell (1659-1695) ♪ The Echoing Air Part I 1. Staircase: Overture 2. If Music Be The Food Of Love 3. Cebell 4. To Arms, To Arms, Heroic Prince 5. To Arms 6. Tell Me, Some Pitying Angel 7. Slow Air 8. We Come To Sing 9. Oh! Lead Me To Some Peaceful Gloom Part II 10. O Solitude 11. Hark! Hark! The Echoing Air 12. Trumpet Tune Part III 13. Sweeter Than Roses 14. Fairest Isle 15. She That Would Gain A Faithful Lover 16. Cupid, The Slyest Rogue Alive 17. I Attempt From Love\'s Sickness To Fly 18. Jig Part IV 19. Music For A While 20. The Fatal Hour Comes On Apace 21. Hear, Mighty Love 22. Plainte: O, Let Me Weep 23. Chacony In G Minor Sylvia McNair, Soprano Christopher Hogwood, organ and harpsichord Laurence Dreyfus, cello and viola da gamba Paul O\'Dette, archlute The Academy of Ancient Music (Period Instruments) Christopher Hogwood Recorded at St. John\'s, Smith Square, London Philips 1995 (HD 1080p - Audio video) Review by Blair Sanderson: Henry Purcell\'s music receives a sumptuous presentation on Sylvia McNair\'s 1994 CD The Echoing Air. Arranged in four parts following the scheme of Baroque entertainment, the concert features both vocal and instrumental pieces. Opening with a vibrant performance of the Staircase Overture, an early piece full of youthful vitality, the program is drawn from a variety of stage works and incidental music, most of which were randomly compiled in Orpheus Britannicus shortly after the composer\'s death. McNair\'s pleasant, unaffected voice is perfectly suited to Purcell\'s pristine lines, and her rhythmic articulations and ornaments are immaculate. Especially noteworthy are her accuracy and sensitivity in bringing off poignant cross relations, a striking feature in many of Purcell\'s laments. But all the songs benefit from her pure tone and tasteful phrasing. Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music perform on period instruments, and their sound is clear and subtly shaded to set the appropriate mood for each number. Along with Laurence Dreyfus on cello, Hogwood provides an understated continuo on harpsichord and organ, though Paul O\'Dette also plays accompaniment on the archlute. Recorded at St. John\'s, Smith Square, London, the building\'s live acoustic lends resonance to McNair\'s clear, ringing tones and the strings\' silvery timbre. • Faces of Classical Music http://facesofclassicalmusic.blogspot.com/'
Tags: 1080p , audio video , Baroque , henry purcell , The Academy of Ancient Music , Christopher Hogwood , The Echoing Air , Sylvia McNair , Laurence Dreyfus , Paul O'Dette
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