Sir Colin Davis - Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas (1970) [2016 SACD]
![Sir Colin Davis - Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas (1970) [2016 SACD]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-01/1610862931_front-cover.jpg)
BAND/ARTIST: Sir Colin Davis
- Title: Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
- Year Of Release: 1970 [2016]
- Label: Philips / PentaTone
- Genre: Classical
- Quality: DSD64 image (*.iso) | FLAC (24bit/96 kHz)
- Total Time: 00:58:20
- Total Size: 2,5 GB / 1,2 GB (+3%rec.)
- WebSite: Album Preview
“On this 1970 multi-channel Philips Classics recording, Dido is interpreted by soprano Josephine Veasey. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the John Alldis choir are conducted by Sir Colin Davis. The recording has been remastered in 2015 and is now re-released in Pentatone’s Remastered Classics series, which finally gives it the chance to expose its magnificent sound quality.”
In 2016, multichannel recording is regarded by classical listeners as state of the art, and some of the finest recordings available have been released in the hybrid SACD format. In 1970, quadraphonic recording was the most advanced technology, and Philips was one of the leading labels developing the process, as shown by this historic recording of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. This early English opera may not seem like a practical demonstration piece for showing off the depth, wide frequency range, and clarity of Philips’ quadraphonic recording, or, for that matter, PentaTone’s multichannel remastering, considering the rather monochrome sound of strings and continuo. However, Colin Davis and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields delivered Dido and Aeneas with extraordinary energy and precision, and the cast — featuring Josephine Veasey as Dido, John Shirley-Quirk as Aeneas, and Helen Donath as Belinda — sang with crisp diction, beautiful tone, and powerful presence. The spaciousness of the recording is most evident whenever the John Alldis Choir enters with its vigorous choruses, and the dramatic contrasts with the soloists highlight the effectiveness of the innovative microphone placement. Newcomers to this opera may skip ahead to Dido’s famous aria, When I am laid in earth, but because the opera runs less than an hour, the recording deserves a full hearing to reveal its excellence as a performance and as an important artifact from the early days of audiophile sound. Highly recommended.
allmusic.com
Tracks:
Dido and Aeneas – An opera in three acts
1. Overture 2:20
Act 1
2. Shake the cloud from off your brow 1:14
3. Ah! Belinda, I am prest with torment 4:53
4. Whence could so much virtue spring? 3:46
5. See, your Royal Guest appears 5:28
Act 2
6. Prelude for the Witches 1:04
7. Wayward sisters 4:38
8. In our deep vaulted cell 2:16
9. Ritornelle – Thanks to these lonesome vales 3:25
10. Oft she visits 2:34
11. Behold, upon my bending spear 1:29
12. Stay Prince 3:31
Act 3
13. Prelude – Come away, fellow sailors 2:30
14. See the flags 3:35
15. Your counsel all is urged in vain 5:26
16. Thy hand Belinda 1:02
17. When I am laid in earth 3:57
18. With dropping wings 4:58
Personnel:
Josephine Veasey, mezzo – Dido
Helen Donath, soprano – Belinda
John Shirley Quirk, baritone – Aeneas
Elizabeth Bainbridge, mezzo – Sorceress
Delia Wallis, soprano – Second Woman and First Witch
Gillian Knight, soprano – Second Witch
Frank Patterson, tenor – Sailor
Thomas Allen, baritone – Spirit
John Alldis Choir – Courtiers, Witches, and Sailors
Kenneth Heath, cello
Robin McGee, double-bass
John Constable, organ and harpsichord
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Director Sir Neville Marriner / Sir Colin Davis
![Sir Colin Davis - Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas (1970) [2016 SACD]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-01/1610862981_back-cover.jpg)
In 2016, multichannel recording is regarded by classical listeners as state of the art, and some of the finest recordings available have been released in the hybrid SACD format. In 1970, quadraphonic recording was the most advanced technology, and Philips was one of the leading labels developing the process, as shown by this historic recording of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. This early English opera may not seem like a practical demonstration piece for showing off the depth, wide frequency range, and clarity of Philips’ quadraphonic recording, or, for that matter, PentaTone’s multichannel remastering, considering the rather monochrome sound of strings and continuo. However, Colin Davis and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields delivered Dido and Aeneas with extraordinary energy and precision, and the cast — featuring Josephine Veasey as Dido, John Shirley-Quirk as Aeneas, and Helen Donath as Belinda — sang with crisp diction, beautiful tone, and powerful presence. The spaciousness of the recording is most evident whenever the John Alldis Choir enters with its vigorous choruses, and the dramatic contrasts with the soloists highlight the effectiveness of the innovative microphone placement. Newcomers to this opera may skip ahead to Dido’s famous aria, When I am laid in earth, but because the opera runs less than an hour, the recording deserves a full hearing to reveal its excellence as a performance and as an important artifact from the early days of audiophile sound. Highly recommended.
allmusic.com
Tracks:
Dido and Aeneas – An opera in three acts
1. Overture 2:20
Act 1
2. Shake the cloud from off your brow 1:14
3. Ah! Belinda, I am prest with torment 4:53
4. Whence could so much virtue spring? 3:46
5. See, your Royal Guest appears 5:28
Act 2
6. Prelude for the Witches 1:04
7. Wayward sisters 4:38
8. In our deep vaulted cell 2:16
9. Ritornelle – Thanks to these lonesome vales 3:25
10. Oft she visits 2:34
11. Behold, upon my bending spear 1:29
12. Stay Prince 3:31
Act 3
13. Prelude – Come away, fellow sailors 2:30
14. See the flags 3:35
15. Your counsel all is urged in vain 5:26
16. Thy hand Belinda 1:02
17. When I am laid in earth 3:57
18. With dropping wings 4:58
Personnel:
Josephine Veasey, mezzo – Dido
Helen Donath, soprano – Belinda
John Shirley Quirk, baritone – Aeneas
Elizabeth Bainbridge, mezzo – Sorceress
Delia Wallis, soprano – Second Woman and First Witch
Gillian Knight, soprano – Second Witch
Frank Patterson, tenor – Sailor
Thomas Allen, baritone – Spirit
John Alldis Choir – Courtiers, Witches, and Sailors
Kenneth Heath, cello
Robin McGee, double-bass
John Constable, organ and harpsichord
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Director Sir Neville Marriner / Sir Colin Davis
Classical | Oldies | FLAC / APE | HD & Vinyl
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