If music be the food of love
Programme
- Henry Purcell from Welcome to all the pleasures: Sinfonia
- Henry Purcell From Welcome to all the pleasures: Here the deities approve
- Henry Purcell from Come ye sons of art away: Sound the trumpet
- Henry Purcell from King Arthur: Chaconne
- Henry Purcell If music be the food of love
- Henry Purcell from The maid's last prayer: No, resistance is but vain
- Henry Purcell from Oedipus: Music for a while
- Henry Purcell from Pausanias, the betrayer of his country: sweeter than roses
- Henry Purcell from The fairy queen: The plaint
- John Blow Ah heav'n what isn't I hear
- Henry Purcell from King Arthur: What power art thou
- Henry Purcell Chaconne in g minor
- Henry Purcell from Dido and Aeneas: When I am laid in earth
- Henry Purcell An evening hymn
- Henry Purcell O Dive custos Auriacae domus
- Henry Purcell from King Arthur: Fairest isle
- The musical repertoire is framed by Shakespeare sonnets in Dutch translation
Andreas Scholl and Maarten Engeltjes, both world-class countertenors, sing arias and duets by their 17th century colleague-countertenors, better known as the composers Henry Purcell (1659-1695) and John Blow (1649-1708) from the English Baroque.
Andreas, Maarten, Henry and John all started their musical careers as little boys, as boy sopranos in the church choir. And what splendid music this English choral tradition has produced! And, just as the young Purcell was a pupil of Blow, so the young Angels received singing lessons from Scholl.
Accompanied by PRJCT Amsterdam, Andreas Scholl and Maarten Engeltjes sing the most beautiful arias and duets, known and less known, that Purcell and Blow wrote for the voice type they most identified with, the countertenor, or alto, the high male voice.
The music will be associated with a contemporary translation of sonnets by Shakespeare from actor and writer Frans van Deursen.
The original programme of this concert (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra) has been postponed. The orchestra could not make its international tour due to various covid restrictions per country.