Live, Video: Kritiken zu klassischen Konzerten, Opern, Ballett und Tanz finden | Now that the sun hath veiled its light, an evening hymn, Z 193

Carlos Mena, en su doble papel de solista y director, se presentó junto a la Sinfónica de Galicia con un programa puramente barroco con música fúnebre de Purcell y de Handel. Les acompañó la sensibilidad de la soprano Jone Martínez.  

Andreas Scholl and Collegium 1704 team up for a refreshing treatment of an early repertoire.

The OAE Night Shift team and their smartphone perform Purcell in a surprisngly formal setting at Sage Gateshead. 

The Belgium-based vocal ensemble presented a programme of vocal and choral delights from 17th century England with mixed results. 

If you like your Purcell spiced up with some jazz improvisation and Middle-Eastern flavours, Philippe Jaroussky and L’Arpeggiata’s gig was for you. 

17th Century Europe witnessed the rise of Italian opera and French ballet. These forms, and the distinct musical language of their composers, were highly influential on the music of England and Germany. The cosmopolitan music of Henry Purcell made up the bulk of The English Concert’s program, along with two instrumental works by his German contemporaries Heinrich Biber and Georg Muffat.

Right, we had our fun with the lively Scholl/Jaroussky concert in the Barbican in December, now for the serious stuff, Andreas Scholl singing the Purcell his admirers have wanted to hear for years. With one or two exceptions, the programme concentrated on Purcell's quieter, deeper and more reflective repertoire.

The countertenor voice seems to polarise opinion like no other - you either love it or hate it, there is little middle ground - and even amongst the aficionados (in whose number I count myself), there can be strong, almost tribal allegiances to one school or another and sometimes to individual proponents.