Purcell: Full Anthems & Organ

Cummings, Laurence, Oxford Camerata, Summerly, Jeremy

8.553129

Queen Mary's death was a devastating blow which deeply affected the country. Mary had been a much-loved monarch and the public demanded a funeral which reflected its devotion.
Purcell's mesmerizing choral music was prefaced by a procession which one can imagine was profoundly moving. No expense was spared. Sir Christopher Wren had ensured that the route to Westminster was lined with black railings. How perfectly the occasion leant itself to Purcell's evocative and bitter-sweet music. The text set ting is so atmospheric as to leave the listener motionless in the stark loneliness and vulnerability of the human condition. The resigned melodic sighs and other-worldly harmony must have been a draining experience on that cold March morning of 1695. So much of Purcell's music touches the melancholic state beyond mere 'affect'. Engrained in his soul is this elusiveness that keeps us yearning for the meaning (perhaps even autobiographical) behind this wonderful music. No-one could have foreseen that in November of that same year the same music would be performed at Purcell's own funeral, also in Westminster Abbey. Maybe an irony of this order is unsurprising for such a man and his enigmatic legacy.

CD x 1

Naxos

2/13/95

730099412926