Gramophone Magazine
February 2021
Editor's Choice

Ensemble Les Surprises, Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, Eugénie Lefebvre, Etienne Bazola

Purcell: King Arthur, Z. 628: Hornpipe (Second Act Tune)
Eccles, J: The Comical History of Don Quixote, Pt. II: "I Burn, My Brain Consumes to Ashes"
Blow: Amphion Anglicus: "Poor Celadon, He Sighs in Vain" (Loving Above Himself)
Purcell: The Prophetess, or the History of Dioclesian, Z. 627: Dance of the Furies
Purcell: Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, Z. 587: "There's Not a Swain on the Plain"
Blow: Venus and Adonis: Saraband for the Graces
Purcell: A Fool's Preferment, or the Three Dukes of Dunstable, Z. 571: "There's Nothing so Fatal as Women"
Purcell: The Virtuous Wife, Z. 611: Overture
Eccles, J: The Comical History of Don Quixote, Pt. I: "Sleep, Poor Youth" (The Dirge)
Purcell: The Virtuous Wife, Z. 611
Purcell: The Yorkshire Feast Song, Z. 333: "So When the Glitt'ring Queen of Night" from "Of Old When Heroes Thought It Base"
Purcell: Anacreon's Defeat, Z. 423: "This Poet Sings the Trojan Wars"
Clarke, Jeremiah: Song on the Assumption: Ground in D Minor
Purcell, D: Pausanias, the Betrayer of his Country, Z. 585: "My Dearest, My Fairest"
Purcell: Tyrannic Love, or the Royal Martyr, Z. 613: "Hark! My Damilcar"
Purcell: King Arthur, Z. 628: Chaconne

Until the late 1680s, Henry Purcell composed almost exclusively for the royal court. But when the monarchy decided to reduce its expenditure on music in 1690, he joined the United Company, a London theatre company, and devoted himself to composing for its productions. These took varied forms, with operas such as King Arthur (1691), The Fairy Queen (1692) and The Indian Queen (1695) but also spoken plays with music, such as The Virtuous Wife (1695). It is excerpts from these works that are presented in Tyrannic Love. Compositions by Purcell's colleagues or followers John Blow, John Eccles, Jeremiah Clarke and Daniel Purcell complete the programme. This recording marks the beginning of the collaboration between Alpha and the ensemble Les Surprises, founded in 2010, which takes its name from Les Surprises de l Amour by Rameau, the group's emblematic composer. Under the artistic direction of Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, who is also an organist and harpsichordist, the ensemble presents innovative interpretations and explores the rich orchestral sonorities made possible by the use of Baroque instruments.

"The theme is love, but there’s nothing coy or sugary about either music or performances that embrace extremes of emotion and expression...Much of this is theatre music, and in the absence of a stage Les Surprises supply all the drama...There’s delight after delight here, both in repertoire – which includes plenty of lesser-known treasures – and performances. This is one French invasion to welcome with open arms." - Gramophone Magazine, February 2021.