Purcell is simply my favorite composer - he has inventiveness, depth and poignancy. What luck to finally happen upon this set. These are among the rare CDs in my collection that don't disturb my concentration when working, but that also stand up to intensive listening. Parts of some performances bring tears, others make me listen for how the ornaments are executed - and all are done impeccably. My favorite Purcell is probably the short but seminal individual movements of his keyboard suites, on disc 6, in... more info
excellent value:
I have an enormous amount of affection for this anthlogy. The music is quintessential Purcell- ingeneous, straight-forward, the show tune king of his day. This is a seven disc set. The first four discs are performed by Musica Antiphon, one of several European H.I.P. ensembles who seem to draw personnel from the same pool. This particular group empressed me earlier with a performance of the Telemann Tafelmusik which was far more spirited and fun than the benchmark perfomance by Musica Antiqua Koln. That same... more info
excellent recordings:
These are very well recorded and thoughtful performances. I cannot believe how inexpensive they are. The musicians play in many world famous orchestras. This is music easy to live with.