Henry Purcell: Suites and Transcriptions for Harpsichord by Naxos CD

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• UPC: 730099498227
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand Name: Naxos
• MPN: 8.553982
• Genre: Classical
• Style: Baroque / Harpsichord
• Composer: Henry Purcell (1659–1695)
• Artist: Terence Charlston (Harpsichord)
• Release Year: 1997

Product Features

• Format: CD (Compact Disc Digital Audio)
• Recording Mode: DDD (Full Digital)
• Total Playing Time: 63:49
• Recording Location: Recorded at the Crypt of St. Etheldreda's, Ely Place, London, England
• Recording Dates: 26th to 27th June, 1994
• Instrument: Harpsichord by Bruce Kennedy, 1993

Overview

This exquisite Naxos recording captures the intimate and sophisticated keyboard world of the greatest English Baroque composer, Henry Purcell. Performed by the renowned early music specialist Terence Charlston, the album features Purcell's complete Harpsichord Suites (Nos. 1–8) alongside a selection of brilliant transcriptions from his stage works, including The Fairy Queen, King Arthur, and Timon of Athens. These pieces demonstrate Purcell's unique ability to blend French and Italian influences with a distinctly English melodic sensibility. The recording, set in the atmospheric Crypt of St. Etheldreda's in London, utilizes a modern harpsichord by Bruce Kennedy, offering a crisp and resonant sound that brings these 17th-century gems to life.

Interesting Facts

• The Royal Keyboard: Purcell served as organist at Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal, but his harpsichord music was primarily intended for domestic performance and the instruction of private pupils.
• Stage to Solo: Many of the transcriptions found on this disc, such as the "Round O" from Abdelazer, were originally orchestral movements from Purcell's popular "semi-operas".
• Bruce Kennedy Harpsichord: The instrument used for this recording is a 1993 creation by the world-renowned maker Bruce Kennedy, modeled after historical Baroque designs.
• Cover Art Heritage: The front cover features the painting Longleat House, Wiltshire by Jan Siberechts (1627–1703), a contemporary of Purcell, perfectly reflecting the stately English Baroque era.
• Crypt Acoustics: St. Etheldreda's, where the recording took place, is one of the oldest Catholic churches in England; its crypt provides a unique, intimate acoustic environment ideal for solo harpsichord.

Track Listing

1–4. Suite No. 1 in G major Z.660 (3:26)

1. Overture in gamut flat (The Virtuous Wife) Z.T693 (2:11) 6–9. Suite No. 2 in G minor Z.661 (7:43)
2. Chaconne in G minor (Timon of Athens) Z.T680 (2:37) 11–13. Suite No. 3 in G major Z.662 (5:30)
3. A New Ground in E minor Z.T682 (2:21) 15–18. Suite No. 4 in A minor Z.663 (5:14)
4. Overture in C (Bonduca Z.574/1) (2:45) 20–23. Suite No. 5 in C major Z.666 (5:31)
5. Overture in D major (The Fairy Queen) Z.T692 (1:27) 25–27. Suite No. 6 in D major Z.667 (4:22)
6. Overture in D minor (King Arthur) Z.628/2 (2:34) 29–31. Suite No. 7 in D minor Z.668 (6:10)
7. Round O (Abdelazer) Z.684 (1:31) 33–36. Suite No. 8 in F major Z.669 (5:57)
8. Alternative Prelude in G minor for Suite No. 2 (0:48)
9. Alternative Prelude in A minor for Suite No. 4 (1:17)

Publishers

• Label: Naxos
• Copyright: ℗ 1997 HNH International Ltd. © 1997 HNH International Ltd.
• Producer/Editor: Andrew Walton
• Engineer: Chris Craker
• Music Notes: Terence Charlston

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