CHRISTINA PLUHAR - Music for a While : Improvisations on Purcell [2014] FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This is an entirely novel treatment of Henry Purcell's music that may appeal greatly to experimentally minded listeners, but those mulling the purchase should be perfectly clear about what they're getting into. "Improvisations on Henry Purcell" is not quite the right subtitle. There are elements of improvisation, it's true, but really these are arrangements of famous Purcell songs and arias, most of them by L'Arpeggiata leader Christina Pluhar. A few of the pieces are performed straight, but most of them are very far from the conventional Purcell sound world, drawing on such diverse genres as rock (the opening 'Twas within a furlong and Strike the viol, both complete with electric guitar), world music, other Baroque styles, various styles of jazz, and even lounge music, applied to the sublime When I am laid in earth, from Dido and Aeneas. Plainly there is a subset of listeners who will be absolutely driven crazy by this release, but just as plainly it gets major points for utter originality. Its strength lies in the fact that it is not simply a jazz or rock version of Purcell but a wholesale rethinking of an antique repertoire for a stylistically diverse modern musical world. Pluhar commands the services of an all-star trio of countertenors including Dominique Visse, Philippe Jaroussky, and Vincenzo Capezzuto, along with soprano Raquel Andueza; the singers generally sound like they're having a great deal of fun, and listeners should check the album out just to hear some hitherto unknown possibilities of the countertenor voice (try Visse's turn in Man is for the woman made). Despite all the craziness, Purcell's tunes are left generally intact, and this is another of the album's strengths. Things go seriously astray only with the bonus track, an inexplicable version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah by Capezzuto, but those hooked on the album's ideas by then will be inclined to accept it as the kind of excess that comes with original projects. The future of early music? Probably not, but who knows?  by James Manheim 
Tracklist:
1     'Twas within a furlong    2:54
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Alto Vocals – Vincenzo Capezzuto
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Thomas d'Urfey
2     Music for a while    5:54
Henry Purcell
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Clarinet – Gianluigi Trovesi
Countertenor Vocals – Philippe Jaroussky
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Words By – John Dryden, Nathaniel Lee
3     Strike the viol    3:57
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Clarinet – Gianluigi Trovesi
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Soprano Vocals – Raquel Andueza
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Nahum Tate
4     An Evening Hymn upon a Ground    6:06
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Countertenor Vocals – Philippe Jaroussky
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Bishop William Fuller
    Hail! bright Cecilia    
5     In vain the am'rous flute    4:33
Henry Purcell
Alto Vocals – Vincenzo Capezzuto
Countertenor Vocals – Philippe Jaroussky
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Recorder – Julien Martin, Marine Sablonnière
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Nicholas Brady
    Who can from joy refrain?    
6     A prince of glorious race descended    4:40
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Soprano Vocals – Raquel Andueza
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Nahum Tate
7     O solitude, my sweetest choice    5:23
Henry Purcell

    Countertenor Vocals – Philippe Jaroussky
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Kathryn Philips
Words By [After 'La Solitude'] – Antoine Girard De Saint-Amant
8     When I am laid in earth    5:03
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Cornett [Cornet Muet] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Soprano Vocals – Raquel Andueza
Words By – Nahum Tate
Words By [After] – Virgil
    Hail Bright Cecilia!    
9     Wondrous machine    3:41
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Alto Vocals – Vincenzo Capezzuto
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Clarinet – Gianluigi Trovesi
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Nicholas Brady
    Welcome to All the Pleasures    
10     Here the deities approve    4:47
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Countertenor Vocals – Philippe Jaroussky
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Violin [Baroque Violin] – Veronika Skuplik
Words By – Christopher Fishburn
11     Ah! Belinda    4:10
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Soprano Vocals – Raquel Andueza
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Nahum Tate
Words By [After] – Virgil
12     Hark! how the songsters of the grove    2:48
Henry Purcell
Countertenor Vocals – Philippe Jaroussky
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – Michèle Claude, Sergey Saprichev
Recorder – Julien Martin, Marine Sablonnière
Soprano Vocals – Raquel Andueza
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Thomas Shadwell
Words By [After] – William Shakespeare
13     One charming night    4:40
Henry Purcell
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Wolfgang Muthspiel
Alto Vocals – Vincenzo Capezzuto
Arranged By – Christina Pluhar
Clarinet – Gianluigi Trovesi
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral, Sergey Saprichev
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Recorder – Julien Martin, Marine Sablonnière
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Anon
Words By [After] – William Shakespeare
14     Man is for the woman made    1:17
Henry Purcell
Countertenor Vocals – Dominique Visse
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Words By – Peter Anthony Motteux
15     O let me weep (The Plaint)    7:18
Henry Purcell
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Soprano Vocals – Raquel Andueza
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Violin [Baroque Violin] – Veronika Skuplik
Words By – Anon
Words By [After] – William Shakespeare
16     Curtain Tune on a Ground    2:56
Henry Purcell
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt 
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Harpsichord, Organ – Haru Kitamika
Lute [Archlute], Guitar [Baroque Guitar] – Eero Palviainen
Percussion – David Mayoral
Recorder – Julien Martin
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Violin [Baroque Violin] – Veronika Skuplik 
 Bonus Track
17     Halleluja    6:04
Alto Vocals – Vincenzo Capezzuto
Cornett [Cornet À Bouquin] – Doron Sherwin
Double Bass – Boris Schmidt
Guitar – Quito Gato
Guitar [Baroque Guitar], Guitar [Chitarra Battente] – Marcello Vitale
Harp [Baroque Harp] – Sarah Ridy
Percussion – David Mayoral
Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Melodica – Francesco Turrisi
Psaltery – Margit Übellacker
Theorbo – Christina Pluhar
Written-By – Leonard Cohen

 CHRISTINA PLUHAR - Music for a While 

[2014] Erato / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless 

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