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The Classical CornerThe Classical Corner takes you behind the scenes of the classical music world today with host Davina Clarke. Author: theclassicalcorner
The Classical Corner takes you behind the scenes of the classical music world today. Hosted by international concert violinist Davina Clarke, she discusses music making with a selection of her remarkable and talented peers. Language: en Genres: Music, Music Interviews Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Series 2, Episode 7: Album Review, The English Concert and I Fagiolini
Episode 17
Sunday, 26 June, 2022
In this episode, Davina reviews two newly released albums hot off the press: Handel’s 'La Resurrezione' by The English Concert and 'John Wilbye – Draw on Sweet Night ' by I Fagiolini and Robert Hollingworth. The English Concert and Harry Bicket’s acclaimed concert cycle of Handel operas and oratorios continues with its second release on Linn, following Handel’s Rodelinda last year. La Resurrezione, composed by Handel in his mid-twenties, and first performed on Easter Sunday in 1708, marked the climax of Handel’s time in Rome. The work details the events between and during Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This new album features some of today’s finest voices including Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, Sophie Bevan, Ashley Riches and Hugo Hymas. Davina is joined in The Classical Corner by Iestyn and Lucy to talk about their favourite arias, Handel's operatic writing and the process of recording the album. To welcome the spring, I Fagiolini has put aside its beloved Monteverdi to uncover its own national heritage: the best of John Wilbye's classic Golden Age madrigals. The album marks the first specific recording of Wilbye's Madrigals released since the 1980s. The album covers a central part of English choral culture that has been strangely out of fashion for so long, sung by a group that has matured into the repertoire. The plangent dissonance of ‘Draw on, sweet night’ and ‘Weep, weep, mine eyes’ evoke English melancholy, while ‘Sweet honeysucking bees’ and ‘Adieu, sweet Amaryllis’ are such sheer pleasure to sing that many listeners will scrabble to unearth old scores. Davina chats to Robert about how this new album came about, the choice of repertoire and the sheer delight of listening to and singing English madrigals. With special thanks to Linn Records and Coro for the use of these beautiful recordings. All the recordings discussed in this episode of The Classical Corner can be found in the Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7wbunpPpFKH36KIys8OF2D?si=996cd75080bb4997
