Royal Odes

Description

The Odes and Welcome Songs composed by Purcell between 1680 and 1695 number 24: 4 celebrate Saint Cecilia, 6 welcome royalty, 3 commemorate the birthday of King James II, and 6 that of Queen Mary (from 1684 to 1694). The others were written for specific events – royal weddings, Yorkshire festivities, the birthday of the Duke of Gloucester, the centenary of Trinity College Dublin, etc. Purcell composed incredibly imaginative music for these occasions, of high quality, often reserving his finest scores for some of the least remarkable texts, which were often conventionally obsequious towards royalty. According to the records, the number of singers and musicians was surprisingly small during special events. Purcell's largest Odes (notably Come Ye sons of Art and Hail! bright Cecilia) seem to have been designed for about a dozen instruments and a quartet of singers for solos and choirs. It is in this "chamber" spirit that Le Banquet Céleste interprets these works of great expressive and musical richness.