PURCELL Karina Gauvin Les Boréades Francis Colpron ACD2 2398

urcell's airs lead us on a thematic voyage of love, the night and madness.   This new ATMA recording shines a spotlight on the splendid voice of Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin.   She deploys all the sensuality, imagination, and exceptionally expressive palette with which she is known to instil into this repertoire all verve it requires.

Accompanied in this journey by Boréades - augmented to twelve instrumentalists, as for the previous Gauvin-Boréades partnership for ATMA Hyver [ACD2 2352] - Karina Gauvin chose arias from Purcell's most beautiful music for the stage, including Dido and Aeneas, The Fairy Queen, King Arthur and Don Quixote.   The program of this recording will form the basis of a major European tour early in 2007.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695):   1. Air How the night is chac'd away (The Fairy Queen Z. 629, 1692)     2:08   2. Air If Love's a sweet passion (The Fairy Queen)     3:41   3. Air Fairest isle (King Arthur Z. 628, 1691)     4:53   4. Air Strike the Viol (ode Come ye sons of art away Z. 323, 1694)     3:48   5. Air instrumental (King Arthur)     1:54   6. Air See, even Night her self is here (The Fairy Queen)     4:14   7. Overture-Symphony while the swans come forward (The Fairy queen)*     2:08   8. Lamento de Didon When I am laid in earth (Dido and Æneas Z. 626, 1689)     4:39   9. An Evening Hymn Z. 193 (Harmonia Sacra, Londres, 1688)     4:37 10. Air Music for a while (Œdipus Z. 583, 1692)     3:10 11. Chaconne (King Arthur)*     3:43 12. Air Hither this way (King Arthur)     2:10 13. Air Shepherd, shepherd (King Arthur) 2:10 14. Third act hornpipe (King Arthur)*     0:45 15. Prelude (The Fairy Queen)     1:06 16. Air One charming night (The Fairy Queen) 2:25 17. First Music (The Fairy Queen)*     1:41 18. Air How blest are shepherds (King Arthur)     3:00 19. Scène From rosy bowers (Don Quixote Z. 578, 1695)     6:52 20. Trumpet tune (King Arthur)*     1:40 21. Air Hark! The echoing air (The Fairy Queen) 2:41       * Pièce instrumentale | Instrumental piece