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Claude Debussy: La danse de Puck
Debussy plays Debussy…
Henry Purcell: The Fairy Queen:
John Eliot Gardiner plays Purcell…
First Music
1. Prelude – 0:00
2. Hornpipe – 1:58
Second Music
3. Air – 2:53
4. Rondeau – 3:40
5. Overture – 5:10
Act I
6. Song In Two Parts: “Come, Come, Come, Let Us Leave” – 7:13
7. Scene Of The Drunken Poet: “Fill Up The Bowl” – 9:37
8. First Act Tune: Jig – 16:17
Act II
9. Prelude And Song: “Come All Ye Songsters Of The Sky” – 17:30
10. Prelude – 19:22
11. Trio: “May The God Of Wit Inspire” – 20:12
12. Echo – 21:16
13. Chorus: “Now Joyn Your Warbling Voices All” – 22:50
14. A Dance Of Fairies – 23:18
15. Song And Chorus: “Sing While We Trip It On The Green” – 24:02
16. Song: “See, Even Night Her Self Is Here” – 25:44
17. Song: “I Am Come To Lock All Fast” – 30:01
18. Song: “One Charming Night” – 31:12
19. Song And Chorus: “Hush, No More, Be Silent All” – 33:10
20. A Dance For The Followers Of Night – 36:30
21. Second Act Tune: Air – 38:21
Act III
22. A Song In Two Parts And Chorus: “If Love’s A Sweet Passion” – 39:42
23. Overture: Symphony While The Swans Come Forward – 47:42
24. Dance For The Fairies – 49:45
25. Dance For The Green Men – 50:34
26. Song: “Ye Gentle Spirits Of The Air, Appear” – 52:02
27. Dialogue Between Coridon And Mopsa: “Now The Maids And The Men” – 57:07
28. Song: “When I Have Often Heard” – 1:01:03
29. A Dance Of Haymakers – 1:04:16
30. Song And Chorus: “A Thousand Thousand Ways We’ll Find” – 1:05:13
31. Third Act Tune: Hornpipe – 1:07:21
Act IV
32. Symphony – 1:08:21
33. Solo And Chorus: “Now The Night Is Chac’d Away” – 1:14:32
34. Duet: “Let The Fifes, And The Clarions” – 1:16:38
35. Entry Of Phoebus – 1:18:34
36. Song: “When A Cruel Long Winter”-Chorus: “Hail! Great Parent Of Us All” – 1:19:10
37. Song: “Thus The Ever Grateful Spring” (Spring) – 1:23:28
38. Song: “Here’s The Summer, Sprightly, Gay (Summer) – 1:25:25
39. Song: “See My Many Colour’d Fields” (Autumn) – 1:27:04
40. Song And Chorus: “Now Winter Comes Slowly” (Winter) – 1:30:07
41. Fourth Act Tune: Air – 1:33:29
Act V
42. Prelude – 1:34:25
43. Epithalamium: “Thrice Happy Lovers” – 1:35:32
44. The Plaint: “O Let Me Weep” – 1:38:09
45. Entry Dance – 1:45:51
46. Symphony – 1:46:59
47. Song: “Thus The Gloomy World” – 1:48:12
48. Solo And Chorus: “Thus Happy And Free” – 1:53:55
49. Song: “Yes Daphne, In Your Looks I Find” – 1:55:32
50. Monkey’s Dance – 1:57:26
51. Song: “Hark How All Things” – 1:58:28
52. Song And Chorus: “Hark! the Ech’ing Air” – 2:00:35
53. Duet And Chorus: “Sure The Dull God” – 2:03:27
54. Prelude – 2:05:32
55. Solo: “See, See, I Obey” – 2:06:04
56. Duet “Turn Then Thine Eyes” – 2:08:02
57. Solo: “My Torch, Indeed” – 2:09:27
58. Trio: They Shall Be As Happy” – 2:10:12
59. Air – 2:11:21
60. Chorus: “They Shall Be As Happy” – 2:12:51
61. Chaconne: Dance For Chinese Man And Woman – 2:14:01
Benjamin Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Montpellier Opera(?) plays Britten (rather grimly, to my mind!)
Endpiece: The Brooklyn Puck…
Mickey Rooney plays Puck
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The Art of Listening 
Very interesting, Chris. It seems to me that Britten starts with Shakespeare’s words, and puts them to music. So it’s a case of musical THEATRE rather than MUSICAL theatre. The costumes and set are fantastic. When I have time, I’m going to view the whole performance.
Perhaps I meant to say it’s a case of musical THEATRE rather than theatrical MUSIC.
loved the Purcell. Not sure about the Britten. Need to hear/see it live to appreciate properly.
Many thanks
Thanks, Chris – great opportunity to hear Purcell and Britten alongside each other. I wonder who was the counter-tenor singing ‘I know a bank’ on the example you played? I do really prefer Deller, whom you can hear on Britten’s own recording of the opera – a unique sound and, as you say, unearthly. You can hear at once why Britten chose him for the part. They don’t make counter-tenors like that any more!