Encore un petit chef d'oeuvre ciselé par notre merveilleux Skip et les non moins merveilleux artistes du collégium Vocale de Gent et du Capriccio Stravagante.. Merci infiniment.
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, our Lord."
Even after watching it several times and being a musician myself I still can't understand how the musicians managed to get the speed from that first cue.
Good to hear Purcell being performed outside the Anglophone world. Is this a recent phenomenon I wonder? I remember some long time ago, possibly the early 1970s, leafing through a German-language dictionary of composers. Purcell was among them and I think most of the article concerned itself with why they should dare to include an English composer. Yet on my last visit to Germany, way back in 1980, my hosts lent me their radio briefly and what should I hear but Purcell's "Remember not Lord our offences". When I hear English-language pop music I sigh. When I hear English classical music abroad, however, I feel pride in my country
A 1960s edition of Pears Encyclopedia of Music, article Purcell, final sentence ... "His early death must be regarded as a national calamity." I couldn't say better.
Waking up listeners - Capriccio Stravagante is world-renowned for their memorable interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque music. Founded in 1986 by Skip Sempé, the ensemble of three to seventy performers incorporates Capriccio Stravagante, the Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra and Capriccio Stravagante Les 24 Violons. By the mid 1990s, the ensemble had built up an extensive discography for which they received international acclaim and had performed in major concert halls and festivals worldwide. Nonchalance & Power - The ensembles seek a musical aesthetic whose values have been nearly lost to contemporary musical life. Unlike many other early music ensembles, they adhere to traditional principles of articulation, rhetoric, scholarship, imagination and talent to break down conventions that have little to do with historical practice, particularly those originating in twentieth-century ‘Baroque’ performance practices. Capriccio Stravagante has recorded extensively for the Paradizo, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Astrée, Alpha and Teldec labels. Man-made beauty - The Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra offers virtuoso performers on a highly distinctive musical instrumentarium that includes violins, viols, recorders, cornetti, sackbuts, krummhorns, shawms, lutes, harps, harpsichords, virginals, organs, and percussion. Derived from the instrumental virtuosity that sixteenth-century music demanded, their playing techniques are completely unknown to classically trained instrumentalists and mainstream audiences today. The ensemble is the largest and most luxurious gathering yet assembled for the performance of masterpieces from this Golden Age of musical creativity. Awards & Rewards - Capriccio Stravagante’s exceptional chamber ensemble playing has inspired three generations of musicians, many of whom have gone on to enjoy international careers. The Capriccio Stravagante Prize was created by Skip Sempé in 1997, and served to encourage numerous musicians in their early careers. It is particularly touching that many of those musicians have now become an integral part of Capriccio Stravagante’s activities. Sempé receives lasting inspiration from the key members of these renewed generations.
Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord.
