KING ARTHUR

Henry Purcell
libretto by John Dryden

1 Opening / Credits
2 Mesdemoiselles, Mesdames, Messieurs

Act I
3 Overture - Vous avez levé le rideau ?!
4 Woden, first to thee - To Woden thanks we render
5 Oh ben non, les gars
6 The lot is cast - Mais qu’est-ce qu’il fait ?
7 The lot is cast - Brave souls to be renown’d
8 I call you all to Woden’s hall
9 Ah non, mais là, c’est pas possible
10 Come if you dare

Intermezzo I
11 Y a-t-il des questions ?
12 Mesdames, mesdemoiselles, messieurs - Petit enfant dans mon berceau

Act II
13 Monsieur Gilbert ?
14 Hither this way
15 Let not a moon-born elf mislead ye - Hither this way
16 Come follow me

Intermezzo II
17 Y a-t-il des questions ?
18 Excusez-moi là
19 Nous sommes toujours dans l’acte 2

Act II (continued)
20 How blest are shepherds
21 Shepherd, shepherd, leave decoying - Come, shepherds, lead up
22 Air - Pour une fois qu’on rigole !
23 Air

Intermezzo III
24 Nous voici dans l’acte 3
25 Un mazzolin di fiori - Bravo ! Bravo !
26 On aime les si bémol - Bravo, minestrone !
27 Bon, mesdames, messieurs

Act III
28 Prelude - Oh ben non !
29 What ho, thou genius of this isle!
30 What power art thou
31 Thou doting fool - Great love, I know thee now
32 No part of my dominion
33 Prelude - Ah, je suis tombé
34 See, see, we assemble
35 Les skieurs scandinaves
36 ’Tis I that have warm’d ye - ’Tis love that has warm’d us
37 Sound a parley - ’Tis love that has warm’d us

Intermezzo iv
38 Excusez-moi, maestro

Act IV
39 Hornpipe
40 Two daughters of this aged stream
41 Oh non ! - Passacaglia - Le Baron et la Baronne - How happy the lover
42 À table ! - Air

Act V
43 Trumpet tune - Qui a demandé bien cuites ?
44 Ye blust’ring brethren of the skies - Monsieur le musicien, divertissez moi !
45 Symphony - Merci
46 Round thy coasts - Your hay it is mow’d
47 Fairest isle, all isles excelling
48 You say, ’tis love
49 Our natives not alone appear
50 Chaconne - Credits

About this DVD

For its first DVD release Glossa has chosen a veritable spectacular, combining the strong creative ideas represented by one of its established artistic teams in Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel, the fabulously funny and hugely-successful French comedy duo of Shirley and Dino (Corinne and Gilles Benizio in real life), a film director in Olivier Simonnet with proven experience in the music of the Baroque and a masterpiece of a dramatick operatic score in Henry Purcell’s King Arthur (1691). Niquet, who had already recorded King Arthur for Glossa - on CD back in 2003 - was now imagining quite a different approach, and what emerged from directorial meetings was a divertissement interspersed with intermèdes, whilst critically retaining the entirety of Henry Purcell’s score. The new plot with its series of individual scenes even now allows for the role of King Arthur himself (assumed here by João Fernandes) as well as the comic sketches starring Shirley et Dino and other members of the cast - even the musical director gets his turn on the stage, rather than in the pit. The production was staged and recorded in March 2009 at the Opéra de Montpellier in France where Le Concert Spirituel has been in residence since 2006. For this release, which comes with an equally entertaining bonus track, there are subtitles in English, French, German and Spanish.

Purcell: King Arthur - Come if You Dare

Purcell: King Arthur - The Cold Scene (Ze Colde Scène)

Purcell: King Arthur - Celestin...