Countertenor Andreas Scholl returns to the Decca label with this all-new recording of vocal gems by Henry Purcell. Scholl returns to Decca as the leading countertenor of today and is performing at the height of his vocal and musical powers. His unique combination of stunning tone, solid technique and sensitivity to text is highlighted in these selections of Purcell's arias and songs, including "When I am laid in earth" from Dido and Aeneas. The album will be available on November 23, 2010.
Andreas Scholl has clearly enjoyed putting together the items for this recording, many of them pieces he has sung for many years, others he is now delighted to add to his repertoire. In some ways, it is surprising that he has not recorded a Purcell disc before now, because, as he explains, "one could say that together with John Dowland and Handel, his music is considered the daily bread of countertenor solo singing. In fact, when I was a student at Basel we did a version of Dido and Aeneas. I sang Purcell then and I loved it, and I have always had some Purcell songs in my recital repertoire, but I had never actually recorded it and I thought now would be a good moment."
With the vast repertoire for Scholl to choose from, he decided to make a number of highly personal choices. He performs two duets with countertenor Christophe Dumaux. According to Scholl: "I always thought it would be nice to have the famous ‘Sound the trumpet' on the recording. Christophe is a very cool guy and a great singer. We did our Met debut together, and we have also sung in stage productions in Copenhagen, Lausanne and Paris. I thought it might be fun to invite him to join me for a couple of duets."
In addition, there is a tribute to the cult figure Klaus Nomi (1944-83) with the famous "Cold Song" from King Arthur, a work given memorable performances by Nomi in the late 70s and early 80s. And perhaps in an unusual move, Scholl performs Dido's lament from Dido and Aeneas. While usually performed by mezzo-sopranos, the range and beauty of the music were more important to Scholl than performance practice.
Scholl is joined by the Accademia Bizantina for an energetic and exciting collaboration which brings out the Italian influence in Purcell's music and who contribute a few orchestral items for the album. It has been five years since Decca released a recital of Andreas Scholl, and the record label celebrates his return with this unique and quite beautiful collection of Purcell selections.
www.deccaclassics.com
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