Les Arts Florissants & William Christie - 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 Aeneas-Overture
2. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Solo and Chorus: Shake the Cloud
3. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Song: Ah! Belinda, I Am Prest
4. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Recitative: Grief Increases By Concealing
5. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Chorus: When Monarchs Unite
6. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Recitative: Whence Could So Much Virtue Spring?
7. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Duet and Chorus: Fear No Danger to Ensue
8. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Recitative: See, Your Royal Guest Appears
9. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Chorus: Cupid Only Throws the Dart
10. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Recitative: If Not for Mine
11. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Air: Pursue Thy Conquest
12. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. Chorus: To the Hills and the Vales
13. Dido and Aeneas-Act I. the Triumphing Dance
14. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Prelude for the Witches: Wayward Sisters, You That Fright
15. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Chorus: Harm's Our Delight
16. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Recitative: The Queen of Carthage
17. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Chorus: Ho! Ho! Ho! / Recitative: Ruin'd Ere the Set of Sun
18. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Duet: But Ere We This Perform
19. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Chorus: In Our Deep Vaulted Cell
20. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Echo Dance of Furies
21. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Ritornelle
22. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Song and Chorus: Thanks to These Lonesome Vales
23. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Song: Oft She Visits This Lone Mountain
24. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Recitative: Behold, Upon My Bending Spear
25. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Song and Chorus: Haste, Haste to Town
26. Dido and Aeneas-Act II. Recitative: Stay, Prince, and Hear Great Jove's Command
27. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Prelude
28. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Solo and Chorus: Come Away, Fellow Sailors
29. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Recitative: See the Flags and Streamers Curling
30. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Song: Our Next Motion
31. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Chorus: Destruction's Our Delight
32. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. the Witche's Dance
33. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Recitative: Your Counsel All Is Urged in Vain
34. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Chorus: Great Minds Against Themselves Conspire
35. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Recitative: Thy Hand, Belinda
36. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Song: When I Am Laid in Earth
37. Dido and Aeneas-Act III. Chorus: With Drooping Wings Ye Cupids Come

Disc: 2

1. Fairy Queen-First Musick. 1. Prelude
2. Fairy Queen-First Musick. 2. Hornpipe
3. Fairy Queen-Second Musick. 3. Air
4. Fairy Queen-Second Musick. 4. Rondeau
5. Fairy Queen-Second Musick. 5. Overture
6. Fairy Queen-Act I. 6. Duet: Come, Let Us Leave the Town
7. Fairy Queen-Act I. 7. Scene of the Drunken Poet: Fill Up the Bowl
8. Fairy Queen-Act I. 8. First Act Tune: Jig
9. Fairy Queen-Act II. 9. Come All Ye Songsters
10. Fairy Queen-Act II. 10. Prelude
11. Fairy Queen-Act II. 11. Chorus: May the God of Wit Inspire / 12. Echo
12. Fairy Queen-Act II. 13. Chorus: Now Join Your Warbling Voices All, Sing While We Trip It
13. Fairy Queen-Act II. 14. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Night: See, Even Night Herself Is Here
14. Fairy Queen-Act II. 15. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Mystery: I Am Come to Lack All Fast
15. Fairy Queen-Act II. 16. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Secrecy: One Charming Night Gives Move Delight
16. Fairy Queen-Act II. 17. Dance of Fairies. Entrance of Sleep: Hush, No More
17. Fairy Queen-Act II. 18. Dance of Fairies: Dance for the Followers of Night
18. Fairy Queen-Act II. 19. Dance of Fairies. Second Act Tune: Air
19. Fairy Queen-Act III. 20. If Love's a Sweet Passion
20. Fairy Queen-Act III. 21. Symphony While the Swans Come Forward
21. Fairy Queen-Act III. 22. Dance for the Fairies
22. Fairy Queen-Act III. 23. Dance for the Green Men
23. Fairy Queen-Act III. 24. Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air
24. Fairy Queen-Act III. 25. Dialogue Between Coridon and Mopsa
25. Fairy Queen-Act III. 26. When I Have Often Heard Young Maids Complaining
26. Fairy Queen-Act III. 27. Dance for the Haymakers
27. Fairy Queen-Act III. 28. a Thousand, Thousand Ways
28. Fairy Queen-Act III. 29. Third Act Tune: Hornpipe

Disc: 3

1. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 30. Symphony
2. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 31. Now the Night Is Chased Away / 32. Let the Fifes and the Clarions
3. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 33. Entry of Phoebus
4. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 34. When a Cruel Long Winter / 35. Chorus: Hail! Great Parent of Us All
5. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 36. Spring: Thus the Ever Grateful Spring
6. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 37. Summer: Here's the Summer, Sprightly, Gay
7. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 38. Autumn: See, See My Many Colour'd Fields
8. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 39. Winter: Next Winter Comes Slowly
9. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 40. Fourth Act Tune: Air
10. Fairy Queen-Act V. 41. Prelude
11. Fairy Queen-Act V. 42. Juno: Thrice Happy Lovers
12. Fairy Queen-Act V. 43. the Plaint: O Let Me Weep!
13. Fairy Queen-Act V. 44. Entry Dance
14. Fairy Queen-Act V. 45. Symphony
15. Fairy Queen-Act V. 46. a Chinese Man: Thus the Gloomy World
16. Fairy Queen-Act V. 47. Chinese Woman: Thus Happy and Free
17. Fairy Queen-Act V. 48. Chinese Man: Yes, Daphne
18. Fairy Queen-Act V. 49. Monkey's Dance
19. Fairy Queen-Act V. 50. Hark! How All Things with One Sound Rejoice
20. Fairy Queen-Act V. 51. Hark! the Echoing Air a Triumph Sings
21. Fairy Queen-Act V. 52. Sure the Dull God of Marriage Does Nor Hear
22. Fairy Queen-Act V. 53. Prelude / 54. Hymen: See, I Obey
23. Fairy Queen-Act V. 55. Turn Then Thine Eyes
24. Fairy Queen-Act V. 56. Hymen: My Torch Indeed Will from Such Brightness Shine
25. Fairy Queen-Act V. 57. They Shall Be As Happy As They Are Fair
26. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 58. Chaconne
27. Fairy Queen-Act IV. 59. They Shall Be As Happy As They Are Fair