"His astonishing and certainly disturbing King Arthur is a happy testament to the vitality of Purcellian interpretation in the 21st century." Classica
Véronique Gens, soprano
Hanna Bayodi, soprano
Béatrice Jarrige, alto
Cyril Auvity, high tenor
Joseph Cornwell, tenor
Peter Harvey, bass
Le Concert Spirituel, choir and orchestra
Hervé Niquet, conductor
Recorded at the Arsenal de Metz, France, in October 2003
Ingénieur du son Engineered and edited by Manuel Mohino and produced by Dominique Daigremont & Hervé Niquet
A true pearl of the baroque, by Henry Purcell, with his intrigue rich in twists and turns and his colourful characters, King Arthur has enjoyed a long-lasting and lasting success since his first performance in 1690.
The story is the confrontation between Arthur the Breton, a very Christian king, and Oswald the Saxon, a very pagan king. Helped by their enchanters - Merlin and Osmond - they fight to win Brittany and the beautiful Emmeline, a blind girl. Love, honor and peace will triumph, saved as if by magic.
Before making it a stage success since its premiere in 2008 in Montpellier, Le Concert Spirituel, after recording for Glossa, presented its concert version of the King Arthur at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Barbican in London, the Philharmonie du Luxembourg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and on tour in Japan.
