Music / opera

King Arthur : 1691


Reviews (10)


Kulturradio RBB

d. 3. Dec. 2018

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By

Bernhard Schrammek

d. 3. Dec. 2018

"Es ist eine wunderbare Zauberwelt, in die der Komponist Henry Purcell und der Librettist John Dryden ihre Zuhörer mit "King Arthur" führen ... Die Sängerinnen und Sänger bewältigen ihre Soli mit grossem Ausdruck ... und agieren dennoch im Chor als absolut homogenes Ensemble. Das begleitende Orchester ist mit etwa 15 Musikern nur solistisch besetzt und spielt dennoch ganz gross auf ... Und das funktioniert alles ohne einen Dirigenten ... Was für ein Ensemble!".


MusicWeb international

2019 November

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By

Simon Thompson (musikanmelder)

2019 November

"Recommended" - "In many ways this sees McCreesh back on territory with which he has been associated for decades. Rather than blockbusting, scale-bursting performances of Berlioz or Mendelssohn, this is a historically informed reconstruction of Purcell's great semi-opera, so forces are small and textures are transparent; but the reconstruction is done with such sensitivity and sympathy that it is elevated into the realm of the extraordinary".


Diapason

2020 février

By

By

Ivan A. Alexandre

2020 février


BBC music magazine

2019 December

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By

Berta Joncus

2019 December

"Choruses are more vibrant, dance rhythms more percussive and solos more delicate than in any previous recording. Above all, McCreesh and his artists make us hear Purcell's genius for word-setting ... But the chief delight of this recording is its consort aesthetic: rather than elbowing forward through virtuosity, the artists exert themselves to work as a collective ... Another jewel in McCreesh's crown".


Fono Forum

2019 Juli

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By

Reinmar Emans

2019 Juli

"Auch ihm [Lionel Meunier] steht ein ausgesprochen farbig besetztes Solistenensemble zur Verfügung, das überaus charmant, aber auch ungemein bösartig und garstig klingen kann. So farbig die Besetzung auch sein mag, so homogen klingt diese, wenn si für die Chorsätze zusammenkommt. Das Instrumentalensemble spielt tadellos und unterstreicht energisch die jeweilige Stimmung".


Diapason

2019 janvier

By

By

Ivan A. Alexandre

2019 janvier


BBC music magazine

2019 February

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By

Berta Joncus

2019 February

"Opera choice: This King Arthur is a giddy triumph for its artists. Blazing their way through the score, the performers set a new benchmark, delivering a production that's equally gutsy and gorgeous ... Grand choruses are crisp and alluring. Amorous ensembles ooze passion, with guest soprano Sophie Junker irresistible as Cupid, while in comic airs tenor Robert Buckland and guest countertenor David Feldman smash decorum, whooping it up in falsetto ... Director Lionel Meunier is the real star, with a soaring vision of Purcell's music in a class of its own".


The gramophone

2019 November

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David Vickers

2019 November

"Recording of the month - Editor's choice: The eight soloists with two additional singers form an excellent chorus that is adept in every context ... Throughout the opera McCreesh's speeds are relaxed rather than driven - no bad thing, to my mind, and it results in Dryden's wonderful poetry being acted with personable clarity, and the lucidity of musical gestures ensures that affection and intimacy are the hallmarks of a performance that conveys a humane smile".


Weekendavisen

d. 16. Apr. 1999

By

d. 16. Apr. 1999


The gramophone

2019 February

By

By

David Vickers

2019 February

"Editor's choice: Vox Luminis, directed with a light touch by bass Lionel Meunier ... harvest the fruits of Purcell and Dryden's collaborative imagination with affectionate lucidity. The band never sounds as small as it actually is ... The playing has admirable finesse ... The Saxons' heathen sacrifices in Act 1 flow with unerring pacing and harmonic shaping ... It has been decades since a recording of any of Purcell's operas as enjoyable as this".