Reaching from the virtuoso Renaissance world of the Consort Song and the English Virginalist through to the 17th century, this is the music that connects Dowland to Blow and Purcell.
The political instability of the Kingdom of England in the 17th century and the perpetual tensions between Catholics and Protestants influenced artistic life: musicians evolved and adapted depending on the current regime and their religion, and new genres were continually emerging and disappearing. It was during this period that the English accompanied song was born, where the beauty of counterpoint and its dissonances gave way to the freedom of declamation, influenced by the Italian style of Caccini and Monteverdi. Poetry has a pastoral flavour and the melancholy remains an omnipresent English signature.
These songs retrace the art of English singing, where the delicacy of France is never far away and Italian extravagances are envied and imitated. From William Lawes’s grand narratives to the seduction of John Blow’s melodies, the English sound is shaping before our eyes and will build over the years to become the inspiration of the young Henry Purcell.
“Perpetual Night” has been awarded the German Record Crititcs’ Award 2018 and Diapason d’Or de l’année, as well as Album of the year Classica, Diamant d’Opéra Magazine and Télérama.
Duration - c.110 minutes (including interval)
