Composer: Thomas Arne, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Franz Joseph Haydn, Henry Purcell
Performer: Isobel Baillie, Gerald Moore
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Heritage
Catalogue: HTGCD273
Release: 2014
Size: 203 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. Purcell: Tell me, some pitying angel (The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation), Z196
02. Purcell: Stript of their green
Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
03. Hark! The echoing air
04. Arne: The Judgement of Paris: O ravishing delight
05. Arne: Where the Bee Sucks
Bach: Cantata No. 208, BWV 208
06. 6. Shall Pales be the last…..Flocks in pastures
Bach: Cantata No. 68, BWV 68
07. My heart ever faithful
Handel: Acis and Galatea, HWV 49
08. O didst thou know?…..As when the dove
Handel: The Messiah, HWV 56
09. Rejoice greatly
10. How beautiful are the feet
11. If God be for us
12. Handel: Samson: Let the bright seraphim
Handel: Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63
13. O let eternal hours….. From Mighty Kings
Haydn: The Creation, H. 21/2
14. On mighty pens
15. trad.: Comin’ through the rye
16. trad.: O whistle an’ I’ll come to you,
Dame Isobel Baillie [1895 – 1983] was the leading British concert soprano of the first half of the 20th century. Her style was characterised by a focussed tone, clear diction and a speech-like and natural approach to phrasing. Her strength was in British music, including Vaughan Williams’ ‘Serenade to Music’ (of which she was one of the original singers) and Elgar’s ‘The Kingdom’. With the exception of 1933, she sang at the Three Choirs Festival every year from 1929 to 1955; she sang ‘Messiah’ for the Halle Orchestra annually for 26 consecutive seasons and for the Royal Choral Society at the Royal Albert Hall on 33 occasions. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1951, and was promoted in 1978 to Dame Commander (DBE).
This Heritage release showcases her artistry in repertoire with which she had a close affinity – Purcell, Arne, Bach, Handel and Haydn in recordings that date from 1941 to 1949 with a variety of orchestras, conductors and accompanists. New transfers.