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A Purcell Collection
Classical · 2014

A Purcell Collection

Henry Purcell

Seventy minutes of English Baroque mastery. Stately brass fanfares give way to fragile, gut-string laments and the sharp, rhythmic pluck of the harpsichord.

April 7, 2014 · Signum Classics

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This collection captures the dual nature of the English Baroque: the public splendor of the court and the private agony of the soul. It is music that feels architectural, built on sturdy ground basses and mathematical precision, yet it is constantly threatened by the emotional weight of its melodies. The sound is defined by the unique timbres of period instruments, where the harpsichord provides a brittle, percussive skeleton for the more fluid, vocal-like lines of the strings and woodwinds.

Moments Worth Listening For
The sudden, piercing entry of the solo oboe against a backdrop of hushed strings.
The way the vocal melody descends into a mournful chromatic sigh during a lament.
The transition from a regal, brass-heavy fanfare to a solitary, skeletal harpsichord passage.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does A Purcell Collection sound next to the rest of Henry Purcell's catalogue?

Contemplative+3.2σ

Contemplative saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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