佳佳唱片

(2CD)普賽爾:五幕歌劇(仙后)
威廉.克利斯提 指揮
繁盛藝術古樂團

「狄多與阿尼亞斯」和「亞瑟王」上演後盛況空前，讓普賽爾信心大增，1692年他繼續著手另一部假面舞劇「仙后」，題材取自莎士比亞名作「仲夏夜之夢」。假面舞劇也可以說是「半歌劇」、「有對話的歌劇」，只有在某些重要場景會輔以音樂烘托。但是普賽爾的這版仲夏夜之夢的普及程度幾乎逼近原作，其中的若干愛情、魔幻場景以及本身音樂具備的幽默感，賦予這部作品與眾不同的風味以及擋不住的魅力。

第一幕場景，仙后蒂塔尼亞（Titania）與仙王奧伯隆嘔氣，故意款待她的幾位印度小男僕好讓奧伯隆吃醋。第二幕，夜色與她的僕人以輕柔的歌聲哄蒂塔尼亞進入夢鄉，並在此時施法讓她愛上醒來後見到的第一眼對象。第三幕，蒂塔尼亞玩著愛情標籤的鄉下遊戲；第四幕，蒂塔尼亞從魔法中恢復過來，並與與奧伯隆和解，演出一幕太陽神與四季的假面舞劇，第五幕戲裡眾人接受婚禮祝福慶祝大團圓。

克利斯提與繁盛藝術古樂團的組合向來是喜愛巴洛克樂迷的不二人選，本片亦榮獲法國古典雜誌衝擊獎推薦，是相當值得入手的經典版本。

On the strength on the immense success of Dido & Aeneas and King Arthur, in 1692 Purcell went on to produce The Fairy Queen, based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The work is, in fact, a ‘semi-opera’, or ‘opera with dialogue’, in which only some of the crucial scenes are provided with music. But this version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by ‘Orpheus Britannicus’ became almost as famous as the play that inspired it, with its love scenes, its supernatural scenes and its innate sense of musical humour investing it with an irresistible savour and enchantment.

CD1
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
1. 01 - First Musick - Prelude
2. First Musick - Hornpipe
3. 03 Second Musick Air
4. 04 Second Musick Rondeau
5. 05 Second Musick Ouverture
6. 06 Act 1 Duet "Come, let us leave the town"
7. 07 Act 1 Scene of the Drunken Poet "Fill up the bowl"
8. 08 Act 1 First Act Tune (Jig)
9. 09 Act II "Come all ye songsters"
10. 10 Act II Prelude
11. 11 Act II Chorus "May the God of Wit inspire" - Echo
12. 12 Act II Chorus "Now join your warbling voices all, Sing while we trip it" - Dance of Fairies
13. 13 Act II Entrance of Night "See, even Night herself is here"
14. 14 Act II Entrance of Mystery "I am come to lock all fast"
15. 15 Act II Entrance of Secrecy "One charming night gives more delight"
16. 16 Act II Entrance of Sleep "Hush, no more"
17. 17 Act II Dance for the followers of Night
18. 18 Act II Second Act Tune (Air)
19. 19 Act III "If love''s a sweet passion"
20. 20 Act III Symphony while the swans come forward
21. 21 Act III Dance for the Fairies
22. 22 Act III Dance for the Green Men
23. 23 Act III "Ye gentle spirits of the air"
24. 24 Act III Dialogue between Coridon and Mopsa
25. 25 Act III "When I have often heard young maids complaining"
26. 26 Act III Dance for the Haymakers
27. 27 Act III "A thousand, thousand ways"
28. 28 Act III Third Act Tune (Hornpipe)

CD2
29. 01 Act IV Symphony
30. 02 Act IV "Now the night is chased away" - "Let the Fifes and the Clarions"
31. 03 Act IV Entry of Phoebus
32. 04 Act IV "When a cruel long winter" - Chorus "Hail! Great parent of us all"
33. 05 Act IV Spring "Thus the ever grateful Spring"
34. 06 Act IV Summer "Here''s the Summer, sprightly, gay"
35. 07 Act IV Autumn "See, see my many colour''d fields"
36. 08 Act IV Winter "Next Winter comes slowly"
37. 09 Act IV Fourth Act Tune (Air)
38. 10 Act V Prelude
39. 11 Act V Juno "Thrice happy lovers"
40. 12 Act V The Plaint "O let me weep!"
41. 13 Act V Entry Dance
42. 14 Act V Symphony
43. 15 Act V A Chinese Man "Thus the gloomy world"
44. 16 Act V Chinese Woman "Thus happy and free"
45. 17 Act V Chinese Man "Yes, Daphne"
46. 18 Act V Monkeys'' Dance
47. 19 Act V "Hark! How all things with one sound rejoice"
48. 20 Act V "Hark! The echoing air a triumph sings"
49. 21 Act V "Sure the dull God of Marriage does not hear"
50. 22 Act V Prelude - Hymen "See, I obey"
51. 23 Act V "Turn then thine eyes"
52. 24 Act V Hymen "My torch indeed will from such brightness shine"
53. 25 Act V "They shall be as happy as they are fait"
54. 26 Act V Chaconne