Past Events

Anna Dennis, Mhairi Lawson and Rowan Pierce sopranos
Jeremy Budd and James Way tenors
Marcus Farnsworth and Ashley Riches baritone/bass

Long renowned for our performances of the music of Henry Purcell, Gabrieli present King Arthur, the composer’s great 17th century patriotic opera, in a new performing edition by Christopher Suckling. Depicting the battles between King Arthur’s Britons and the Saxon invaders, this 1691 setting of John Dryden’s poetry is full of dynamic dance rhythms and lyrical song, including the justly famous Fairest Isle, as well as the ‘frost scene’. Conductor Paul McCreesh leads a virtuosic consort cast in one of Purcell’s most vivid and imaginative scores.

‘McCreesh is one of today’s finest Purcell interpreters, and musically this was rather special, played with an admirable mixture of sensuousness and majesty, and sung with consistent finesse and elan.’ The Guardian