Sound the Trumpet - Royal Music of Purcell & Handel Alison Balsom

• 1 Act 3: Sento la goia 04:45
• 2 Act 1: Overture 03:37
• 3 Act 1: Come if you dare 03:02
• 4 Act 5: Symphony 01:56
• 5 Act 2: Shepherd, Shepherd, Leave Decoying 01:48
• 6 Act 5: Round thy shores 01:11
• 7 Act 5: Trumpet Tune 00:47
• 8 Act 5: Fairest isle 02:03
• 9 Overture 04:02
• 10 Eternal Source of Light Divine (countertenor) 03:35
• 11 Act 4: Symphony 06:28
• 12 Rondo (Second Musick) 01:41
• 13 Act 1: Jig 01:07
• 14 Act 5: Prelude 01:03
• 15 Act 5: Chaconne and Chorus 03:58
• 16 Sound the trumpet (countertenor) 02:36
• 17 I. Overture 01:44
• 18 II. Gigue (Allegro) 01:47
• 19 III. Minuet (Aria) 01:50
• 20 IV. Bourrée 01:00
• 21 V. March No. 2 (Partenope, HWV 27) 01:07
• 22 Act 5: The plaint 07:45
• 23 I. Adagio 01:59
• 24 II. Allegro 01:41
• 25 III. Siciliana (Largo) 02:13
• 26 IV. Vivace 01:39
• Total Runtime 01:06:24

Info for Sound the Trumpet - Royal Music of Purcell & Handel

In the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, Alison Balsom celebrates the heroic era of the Baroque trumpet in works by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and Henry Purcell (1658 or 1659-1695), whose anthems, odes, sinfonias and operas have provided the music for numerous royal celebrations from their own day to the present.

Joining forces with Trevor Pinnock, harpsichordist, conductor and pioneer of historical performance, and with the English Concert orchestra that he founded, Balsom demonstrates the versatility and expressive power of her valve-less instrument in original works and new arrangements. These include Purcell’s Sound the trumpet and Handel’s Eternal Source of light divine in duet with countertenor Iestyn Davies and Purcell’s The Plaint from The Fairy Queen in duet with soprano Lucy Crowe. Further repertoire includes suites from Purcell’s semi-operas King Arthur (1691) and The Fairy Queen (1692) in new arrangements by Balsom and Pinnock, Handel’s Water Piece in D Major HWV 341 and his Oboe Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major HWV 301 transposed into C Major.

“when the instrument is played as fluidly agreeably as it is here, nobody could doubt that it is the right tool for the job...And it all works. This is rattling good music, and so easily does the trumpet fit into it that often it is hard to recall what the original scorings were anyway. Balsom, too, sounds utterly at home...and [is] wonderfully backed by the English Concert and the bright natural musicianship of Trevor Pinnock.” (Gramophone Magazine)

“the music-making is a joy from beginning to end. Alison Balsom’s playing is stunning. The tone and intonation are fabulous; the lip trills, ornaments and runs simply staggering. How she achieves this level of technical assurance on an instrument without valves is remarkable...Crowe’s rendition of The Plaint from Purcell’s The Fairy Queen is sensitively and beautifully sung and it’s obvious that there’s an equal musical partnership captured here.” (MusicWeb International)

Alison Balsom, trumpet
Iestyn Davies, countertenor
Lucy Crowe, soprano
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord and organ

Alison Balsom
has cemented an international reputation as one of classical music’s great ambassadors. She has been honoured with numerous awards by Classic FM, Gramophone and Echo Klassik and in 2009 she became the first ever Briton to be crowned “Female Artist of the Year” at the Classical BRITs. In September 2009 Alison headlined classical music’s most celebrated concert – The Last Night of the BBC Proms – which reached its biggest ever global audience of an estimated 150 million.

Recent and upcoming highlights include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Alison also looks forward to embarking on major international tours with I Musici di Roma, the Scottish Ensemble and Alison’s own Balsom Ensemble in 10/11 and beyond.

While represented by the Young Concert Artists Trust, Alison caught the ear of EMI Classics with whom she records exclusively. Her internationally celebrated Bach Trumpet and Organ disc of 2005 was quickly followed by the Caprice album which won her further critical acclaim. Her third album, featuring the great pillars of the trumpet repertoire, the concertos of Haydn and Hummel, firmly established her as the world's leading trumpeter. Her eagerly awaited follow up album which was released in autumn 2010 to great critical acclaim includes a selection of Italian Baroque Concertos

Under the auspices of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme, Alison performed at the Wigmore Hall and with all of the BBC orchestras.

Alison studied trumpet at the Guildhall School of Music, the Paris Conservatoire, and with Håkan Hardenberger. She was previously a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Alison was a concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition in 1998 and received the Feeling Musique Prize for quality of sound in the 4th Maurice André International Trumpet Competition. She is Visiting Professor of Trumpet to the Guildhall School of Music. Alison performs a wide range of recital and concerto repertoire, from Albinoni to Zimmermann and performs on both modern and baroque trumpets.

This album contains no booklet.