Marriage of England & Spain: Phillip II & Mary

On this CD:

1. Fanfare: Levet
Composed by Cesare Bendinelli
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

2. Jubilate Deo Omnis Terra, for 6 voices
Composed by Cristobal de Morales
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

3. Introit
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

4. In die Sanctae Trinitas Kyrie
Composed by Philip Ap Rhys
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

5. Missa "Gloria Tibi Trinitas" for 6 voices Gloria
Composed by John Taverner
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

6. Gradual
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

7. Sequence
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

8. Missa "Gloria Tibi Trinitas" for 6 voices Credo
Composed by John Taverner
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

9. Preface
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

10. Missa "Gloria Tibi Trinitas" for 6 voices Sanctus
Composed by John Taverner
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

11. Diferencia Sobre "El Canto la Dama le Demenda" for organ
Composed by Antonio de Cabezon
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

12. Pater noster
Composed by Cristobal de Morales
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

13. Missa "Gloria Tibi Trinitas" for 6 voices Agnus Dei
Composed by John Taverner
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

14. Communion
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

15. O Sacrum Convivium, for 5 Voices
Composed by Cristobal de Morales
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

16. Postcommunio
Composed by Gregorian Chant
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

17. Fanfare: Levet
Composed by Cesare Bendinelli
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

18. Recessional: Jouissance vous donnerai
Composed by Nicolas Gombert
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

19. Tant que je vivrai, chanson
Composed by Claudin de Sermisy
Performed by Jonathan Arnold, Simon Berridge, Josep Cabre, Charles Gibbs, Carys-Anne Lane, William Missin
Conducted by Richard Cheetham

Customer Reviews:

Fine reissue of a classic set.......2006-05-24

Think about 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.