The Sixteen & Harry Christophers – Purcell: Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II (2018) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Charles II’s formal Restoration in 1660 marked both an end and a beginning: the end of England’s republican experiment and the beginning of a long process of monarchical reconstruction; and with a politically accident-prone king on the throne, Charles’s public relations machine could never rest. Purcell joined its small team of composer operatives just as the wave of Stuart propaganda swelled massively, and he surfed the wave with breathtaking panache, from his first court ode – the simple but rousing Welcome, Vicegerent of the mighty King – to the ambitious Fly, bold rebellion involving verse settings in up to seven parts and a six-part chorus.

Following the sinister puritan religious dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell and the succession attempt by his son Richard during a few months, the King’s return from exile on his birthday in 1660 was celebrated as a breath of fresh air. Because under Cromwell, music and joy were banned, it was all about religion, only religion, always religion, along with war. It therefore comes as no surprise that the advent of the new king was celebrated with music. With that said, the present works by Purcell weren’t originally conceived for this particular return – the composer, albeit a young prodigy, was only one year old at the time – and in 1680 Welcome, vicegerent of the mighty King celebrated another royal return. Three years later, Purcell wrote Fly, bold rebellion to celebrate the king’s return following the failed Rye House Plot, a plan to assassinate the King as well as his brother, the future James II. The other works on the album, authored by Harry Christophers and his sumptuous ensemble The Sixteen, also offer other pieces by Purcell, including the stunning 1688 O sing unto the Lord, which is not directly related to any royal return, but whose essence perfectly encapsulates the spirit of artistic (and even, in a way, religious) freedom that prevailed in England at the time.

Tracklist:
Henry Purcell (1659-95)
01. Catch – Since the Duke is Return’d, Z. 271
02. Welcome, Vicegerent of the Mighty King, Z. 340: Welcome, Vicegerent of the Mighty King
03. Welcome, Vicegerent of the Mighty King, Z. 340: Ah! Mighty Sir
04. Welcome, Vicegerent of the Mighty King, Z. 340: When the Summer in His Glory
05. Welcome, Vicegerent of the Mighty King, Z. 340: Music the Food of Love
06. Let Mine Eyes Run Down With Tears, Z. 24
07. Sleep, Adam, Sleep and Take Thy Rest, Z. 195
08. Beati omnes qui timent Dominum, Z. 131
09. O Sing unto the Lord, Z. 44: Symphony / O Sing unto the Lord a New Song
10. O Sing unto the Lord, Z. 44: Sing unto the Lord, and Praise His Name
11. O Sing unto the Lord, Z. 44: The Lord is Great
12. O Sing unto the Lord, Z. 44: O Worship the Lord
13. O Sing unto the Lord, Z. 44: Tell it Out Among the Heathen
14. Great God, and Just, Z. 186
15. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: SymphonyThe Sixteen
16. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: Fly, Bold Rebellion
17. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: Rivers From Their Channels Turn’d
18. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: If Then We’ve Found
19. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: Come Then, Change Your Notes
20. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: Be Welcome Then, Great Sir
21. Fly, Bold Rebellion, Z. 324: Welcome to all Those Wishes Fulfill’d