Purcell: The Fairy Queen

CD Details

Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen is a semi-opera from the Baroque period that weaves together music and drama. This recording features performers Ashley Stafford, Eiddwen Harrhy, and Elisabeth Priday bringing the composer’s ornate vocal lines and instrumental passages to life across multiple acts and scenes, including the famous Drunken Poet sequence and various songs and dances that punctuate the work.

This is a CD release of Purcell’s complete score, opening with the First and Second Music movements before progressing through the prelude, hornpipe, air, rondeau, and overture that introduce the opera proper. Subsequent tracks document the unfolding drama with songs in multiple parts, instrumental interludes, and the rich harmonic language characteristic of Purcell’s style. Add this essential Baroque recording to your collection at a used price.