On this, the birthday of one of England’s great composers, expect to receive a parcel of Purcell from The Classical Network.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was the outstanding composer of Restoration England, some would say of all English history. No native composer came anywhere near his stature until the end of the 19th century and the emergence of figures like Sir Edward Elgar.
Purcell achieved much in his 36 years. He was at the forefront of the flowering of English music after the Restoration of the monarchy. He served at Westminster Abbey under three kings. Among his other duties, he was an organist. He died at the height of his career, in 1695. Tradition has it that he caught a chill when his wife locked him out in the cold, after one too many late nights lingering at the tavern with his theatrical associates. He now rests in Westminster, near his former instrument.
Purcell stands apart as the most original thinker among English composers of his era. His music is often playful and sometimes quirky. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies takes that quirkiness and runs with it. His “Fantasia upon a Ground and Two Pavans” incorporates a foxtrot and imitates the effect of a gramophone running down and having to be cranked up again, only to have the stylus get stuck in a groove.
Michael Nyman’s music for the Peter Greenaway film “The Draughtsman’s Contract” takes Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen” and whips it up into a musical egg cream complete with 1950s-style rock and roll saxophones. Purcell is listed in the film’s credits as “musical consultant.”
Poul Ruders’ “Concerto in Pieces (Purcell Variations)” was composed in 1995 for the tercentenary of Purcell’s death and the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s “Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell” – better known as “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” I can’t imagine we’ll be able to get through the entire afternoon without hearing Britten’s most frequently performed work. In fact, I’ll be bringing a recording narrated by none other than Sean Connery.
We’ll also hear a violin concerto by Swedish composer Tor Aulin, born on this date in 1866, and a string quartet by Sholom Secunda.
Secunda’s quartet is a very happy discovery of music by a composer known mostly for his work in the Yiddish theater. The piece incorporates traditional Jewish melodies that appear to have been selected somewhat arbitrarily. However, some of them do pertain to the High Holy Days. (Shana tova!) If you have a soft spot for the quartets of Dvořák or Borodin, I think you will really enjoy this.
It will be an afternoon peppered with Purcell, further spiced by a few tributes and tributaries, today from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
