Michael Kenyon presents Purcell's tercentenary concert from Westminster Abbey in London (1995). Tenor Ian Bostridge sings John Blow, 'The sullen years are past', and soparano Emma Kirkby sings Purcell's 'Stripped of their green'.
Glorious. Both of them. I love how clear and yet smooth Bostridge's ornaments are... so graceful! And of Kirkby, well, there isn't much to say except that she sings this music as it should be sung.
The best concerts of my life were 27 years ago the Creation from Hydn, The Messias from Handel and songs from Dowland sang by the great Emma Kirkby and others in Lisbon and Setúbal (Portugal)
By jove! this woman is an angel, temporarily descended to earth if only to brighten my petty mortal coil. to borrow the parlance of the modern young american gent, she is "fucking badass".
Does anyone know who the theorbo player is? As a lutenist myself, I'm naturally curious. I love to listen to Ian Bostridge, and...Emma, well, she's just fantastic, divine, words like that. I met her last year when she and lutenist Jakob Lindberg performed in Westminster, Maryland. It was like approaching a goddess, only to find her not remote at all, but genuinly interested in my lute playing, singing etc. etc. Thanks Emma!
@looterish It is too dark to tell for sure in the video, but the theorbo player is possibly Paula Chateauneuf. Paula was working with Kirkby very much at that time recording and performing Purcell and Blow, and she holds her theorbo just like the player in the video - meaning the neck is very vertical compared to other English players.
@yukikoforevernoise Never fear. For further information: You can (italics) rightfully call people from England, Wales,, Scotland or Northern Ireland British. People from the Republic of Ireland are NOT British as they are no longer attached to the United Kingdom, but a nation state in their own right. Many people from Scotland or Wales (though strangely not from Northern Ireland) may object to being called 'British' as they hold their respective statuses, Welsh or Scottish, as pre-eminent..
@kittennlick I'm not disagreeing with any of those points; I was speaking of identity and not of political boundaries. That is to say I was providing information to an American individual about which denizens of the United Kingdom would most likely refer to themselves as 'British'. Many Northern Irish Unionists would do so, and would be more likely to do so than people hailing from Scotland or Wales.There is no need to treat me like an idiot, I am well aware of the uses of Google, thank-you.
The sullen years are past yet repine not at the least since William and Maria reign safe in its course amidst the storm from plots and deaths in ev’ry form to fix the world again, again.
@oliato7 Northern Ireland is not part of Britain, though it is part of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland. Scotland and Wales are part of Britain (Act of Union with Scotland was in 1707, with Wales in 1536). Have a Google :)
