The fairy queen : 1692

"Hard on the heels of their release of King Arthur, Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort now bring out Purcell's subsequent semi-opera The Fairy Queen (1692). Although recorded at the same time, and using virtually the same line up of singers, this account of Purcell's adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (rather than Spenser's eponymous poetical epic) is not quite so successful ... Admittedly that is the fault of the score, not the performers. But McCreesh attempts to draw little contrast between them, or to instil greater vitality or character in their articulation. True, they are sung with a pleasing directness and lack of affectation, letting the words speak for themselves, which stands entirely to the credit of all the performers concerned, but they sound more like a recital of song rather than carrying through any drama, however tenuous any narrative thread is at this point ... Carping about that aspect aside, this is still overall more than simply a decent account of the musical items which Purcell set".

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"This disc hightlights Gardiner's flair for drama. Airy dances and languishing sighs are but two of many effects that he calls forth".

"Med nutidens øjne og ører er 'The Fairy Queen' en forvirrende rodebutik ... Det er en blanding af historiefortælling, fabel og ceremoni ... [og] byder på lidenskab, vrede, hjertesorg og forargelse, kærlighed, forelskelse og komedie. Men det lader til at have fungeret for 1690'ernes publikum ... Paul McCreesh og hans ensemble Gabrieli Consort skal ikke bekymre sig om det sceniske på denne udgivelse og præsenterer, ifølge dem selv, en ideel 'koncertversion' ... Det er fint at tage partituret ud af teatret, men at tage teatret ud af partituret er en forbrydelse. Det er til en vis grad det, som sker i denne meget sobre og luftige udgave ... Det komiske nedtones ... ikke kun for sangerne, men også det lille delikate kammerorkester ... 'The Fairy Queen' skal først og fremmest være underholdende".

"Opera choice: McCreesh's production rises to the occasion: original voicing, unorthodox continuo, project-specific trumpet design and rediscovered string techniques bring out qualities missing from earlier recordings. The choir transforms on command from a lightly teasing ensemble to a thundering chorus ... Singers' additions, which stand out gloriously against a plucked-string-only accompaniment, cause amorous solos to ooze desire ... Extremes, as McCreesh shows, belong to the fantastic worlds of The Fairy Queen".