The Deller Consort was one of the top period performance ensembles when there were relatively few players in the game. This 1965 Vanguard recording is still a serviceable representation of Purcell's The Masque in Dioclesian, partly thanks to the period band and chorus which back up the Deller Consort, namely Concentus Musicus Wien under the direction of the young Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Although the group sounds a bit scrappier than what we have come to expect from Harnoncourt, the performance bristles with youthful energy ...
Read More
The Deller Consort was one of the top period performance ensembles when there were relatively few players in the game. This 1965 Vanguard recording is still a serviceable representation of Purcell's The Masque in Dioclesian, partly thanks to the period band and chorus which back up the Deller Consort, namely Concentus Musicus Wien under the direction of the young Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Although the group sounds a bit scrappier than what we have come to expect from Harnoncourt, the performance bristles with youthful energy and enthusiasm. Alfred Deller's voice hadn't gone into the tank quite yet when these recordings were made and, along with the other singers here, does a splendid job both in singing the music and projecting the text. In 1965 this would've been the only recorded option in terms of a complete The Masque in Dioclesian. As time has passed this is no longer true, but it still remains one of the better recordings of this Purcell work. Although the Bach Guild edition seen here is now...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.