In Purcell's time if it was cool it was probably French. Today Donald Macleod finds the composer riding the wave of contemporary fashions, and wearing not just a beret but also military cravat and a sharp Italian suit. As we discover, Purcell could be all things to all men if he so desired, and he was happy to satisfy the King's French fascinations one day, and aristocratic Italian obsessions the next. We also find him paying tribute to his English predecessors, even if that meant swimming against the cultural tide.

arr Jay Bernfeld: Fantasia à5 in F Z 745
Fuoco e Cenere
Jay Bernfeld, director

Sonata à3 in C minor Z 798
Retrospect Trio

Retir'd from any mortal's sight Z 581
Judith Nelson, soprano
Christopher Hogwood, harpsichord

Fantasia V à4
Fretwork

Pox on You
The Merry Companions

If ever I more riches did desire Z 544
Parley of Instruments
Red Byrd
Peter Holman, director

Dioclesian, conclusion
Ann Monoyios, soprano,
Stephen Gadd, bass
Richard Edgar-Wilson, tenor
Paul Agnew, tenor
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock, director

Producer: Michael Surcombe. Show less