Les Arts Florissants - Purcell: Dido & Aeneas, the Fairy Queen (CD)

In the late 1980s, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants recorded galvanizing versions of two masterpieces of early English opera: Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen. These two seminal interpretations are now available again, coupled for the first time in a single boxed set.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. Dido and AeneasOverture
2. Dido and AeneasAct I. Solo and Chorus: Shake the cloud
3. Dido and AeneasAct I. Song: Ah! Belinda, I am prest
4. Dido and AeneasAct I. Recitative: Grief increases by concealing
5. Dido and AeneasAct I. Chorus: When monarchs unite
6. Dido and AeneasAct I. Recitative: Whence could so much virtue spring?
7. Dido and AeneasAct I. Duet and Chorus: Fear no danger to ensue
8. Dido and AeneasAct I. Recitative: See, your Royal Guest appears
9. Dido and AeneasAct I. Chorus: Cupid only throws the dart
10. Dido and AeneasAct I. Recitative: If not for mine
11. Dido and AeneasAct I. Air: Pursue thy conquest
12. Dido and AeneasAct I. Chorus: To the hills and the vales
13. Dido and AeneasAct I. The Triumphing Dance
14. Dido and AeneasAct II. Prelude for the Witches: Wayward Sisters, you that fright
15. Dido and AeneasAct II. Chorus: Harm's our delight
16. Dido and AeneasAct II. Recitative: The Queen of Carthage
17. Dido and AeneasAct II. Chorus: Ho! Ho! Ho! / Recitative: Ruin'd ere the set of sun
18. Dido and AeneasAct II. Duet: But ere we this perform
19. Dido and AeneasAct II. Chorus: In our deep vaulted cell
20. Dido and AeneasAct II. Echo Dance of Furies
21. Dido and AeneasAct II. Ritornelle
22. Dido and AeneasAct II. Song and Chorus: Thanks to these lonesome vales
23. Dido and AeneasAct II. Song: Oft she visits this lone mountain
24. Dido and AeneasAct II. Recitative: Behold, upon my bending spear
25. Dido and AeneasAct II. Song and Chorus: Haste, haste to town
26. Dido and AeneasAct II. Recitative: Stay, Prince, and hear great Jove's command
27. Dido and AeneasAct III. Prelude
28. Dido and AeneasAct III. Solo and Chorus: Come away, fellow sailors
29. Dido and AeneasAct III. Recitative: See the flags and streamers curling
30. Dido and AeneasAct III. Song: Our next motion
31. Dido and AeneasAct III. Chorus: Destruction's our delight
32. Dido and AeneasAct III. The Witche's Dance
33. Dido and AeneasAct III. Recitative: Your counsel all is urged in vain
34. Dido and AeneasAct III. Chorus: Great minds against themselves conspire
35. Dido and AeneasAct III. Recitative: Thy hand, Belinda
36. Dido and AeneasAct III. Song: When I am laid in earth
37. Dido and AeneasAct III. Chorus: With drooping wings ye Cupids come

Disc: 2

1. Fairy QueenFirst Musick. 1. Prelude
2. Fairy QueenFirst Musick. 2. Hornpipe
3. Fairy QueenSecond Musick. 3. Air
4. Fairy QueenSecond Musick. 4. Rondeau
5. Fairy QueenSecond Musick. 5. Overture
6. Fairy QueenAct I. 6. Duet: Come, let us leave the town
7. Fairy QueenAct I. 7. Scene of the Drunken Poet: Fill up the bowl
8. Fairy QueenAct I. 8. First Act Tune: Jig
9. Fairy QueenAct II. 9. Come all ye songsters
10. Fairy QueenAct II. 10. Prelude
11. Fairy QueenAct II. 11. Chorus: May the God of Wit inspire / 12. Echo
12. Fairy QueenAct II. 13. Chorus: Now join your warbling voices all, Sing while we trip it
13. Fairy QueenAct II. 14. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Night: See, even Night herself is here
14. Fairy QueenAct II. 15. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Mystery: I am come to lack all fast
15. Fairy QueenAct II. 16. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Secrecy: One charming night gives move delight
16. Fairy QueenAct II. 17. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Sleep: Hush, no more
17. Fairy QueenAct II. 18. Dance of Fairies: Dance for the followers of Night
18. Fairy QueenAct II. 19. Dance of Fairies. Second Act Tune: Air
19. Fairy QueenAct III. 20. If love's a sweet passion
20. Fairy QueenAct III. 21. Symphony while the swans come forward
21. Fairy QueenAct III. 22. Dance for the Fairies
22. Fairy QueenAct III. 23. Dance for the Green Men
23. Fairy QueenAct III. 24. Ye gentle spirits of the air
24. Fairy QueenAct III. 25. Dialogue between Coridon and Mopsa
25. Fairy QueenAct III. 26. When I have often heard young maids complaining
26. Fairy QueenAct III. 27. Dance for the Haymakers
27. Fairy QueenAct III. 28. A thousand, thousand ways
28. Fairy QueenAct III. 29. Third Act Tune: Hornpipe

Disc: 3

1. Fairy QueenAct IV. 30. Symphony
2. Fairy QueenAct IV. 31. Now the night is chased away / 32. Let the Fifes and the Clarions
3. Fairy QueenAct IV. 33. Entry of Phoebus
4. Fairy QueenAct IV. 34. When a cruel long winter / 35. Chorus: Hail! great parent of us all
5. Fairy QueenAct IV. 36. Spring: Thus the ever grateful Spring
6. Fairy QueenAct IV. 37. Summer: Here's the Summer, sprightly, gay
7. Fairy QueenAct IV. 38. Autumn: See, see my many colour'd fields
8. Fairy QueenAct IV. 39. Winter: Next Winter comes slowly
9. Fairy QueenAct IV. 40. Fourth Act Tune: Air
10. Fairy QueenAct V. 41. Prelude
11. Fairy QueenAct V. 42. Juno: Thrice happy lovers
12. Fairy QueenAct V. 43. The Plaint: O let me weep!
13. Fairy QueenAct V. 44. Entry Dance
14. Fairy QueenAct V. 45. Symphony
15. Fairy QueenAct V. 46. A Chinese Man: Thus the gloomy world
16. Fairy QueenAct V. 47. Chinese Woman: Thus happy and free
17. Fairy QueenAct V. 48. Chinese Man: Yes, Daphne
18. Fairy QueenAct V. 49. Monkey's Dance
19. Fairy QueenAct V. 50. Hark! how all things with one sound rejoice
20. Fairy QueenAct V. 51. Hark! the echoing air a triumph sings
21. Fairy QueenAct V. 52. Sure the dull God of Marriage does nor hear
22. Fairy QueenAct V. 53. Prelude / 54. Hymen: See, I obey
23. Fairy QueenAct V. 55. Turn then thine eyes
24. Fairy QueenAct V. 56. Hymen: My torch indeed will from such brightness shine
25. Fairy QueenAct V. 57. They shall be as happy as they are fair
26. Fairy QueenAct IV. 58. Chaconne
27. Fairy QueenAct IV. 59. They shall be as happy as they are fair