A Thousand Charms Grace Davidson & Julian Perkins

• Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695): If music be the food of love, Z. 379:
• 1 Purcell: If music be the food of love, Z. 379 02:24
• Pausanius, Z.585, Act III:
• 2 Purcell: Pausanius, Z.585, Act III: No. 1, Sweeter than Roses 03:11
• The Indian Queen, Z. 630, Act III:
• 3 Purcell: The Indian Queen, Z. 630, Act III: No. 10, I attempt from Loves sickness to fly 01:53
• The Indian Queen, Z. 630, Act IV:
• 4 Purcell: The Indian Queen, Z. 630, Act IV: No. 1, They tell us that your mighty powers above 04:40
• Suite in D Minor:
• 5 Purcell: Suite in D Minor: I. Almand, very slow 04:41
• 6 Purcell: Suite in D Minor: II. Corant 01:38
• 7 Purcell: Suite in D Minor: III. Sarabande 01:16
• 8 Purcell: Suite in D Minor: IV. Hornpipe 01:37
• Thomas Campion (1567 - 1620): Never weather-beaten sail:
• 9 Campion: Never weather-beaten sail 02:11
• Author of Light:
• 10 Campion: Author of Light 02:59
• Thomas Arne (1710 - 1778): The Tempest, Act V Scene I:
• 11 Arne: The Tempest, Act V Scene I: Where the bee sucks, there lurk I (Ariel) (Arr. for Soprano and Harpsichord by Alex Barrett) 02:12
• Judith, Act II Scene V:
• 12 Arne: Judith, Act II Scene V: Sleep, gentle Cherub! Sleep descend (Judith) 03:00
• Harpsichord Sonata No. 5 in B Flat Major:
• 13 Arne: Harpsichord Sonata No. 5 in B Flat Major: I. Poco largo 01:42
• 14 Arne: Harpsichord Sonata No. 5 in B Flat Major: II. Gavotta 02:13
• Pelham Humfrey (1647 - 1674): A Hymne to God the Father:
• 15 Humfrey: A Hymne to God the Father 02:43
• John Blow (1649 - 1708): Sabina has a thousand charms:
• 16 Blow: Sabina has a thousand charms 02:35
• Lovely Selina:
• 17 Blow: Lovely Selina 03:01
• John Eccles (1670 - 1735): Belinda’s pretty pleasing form:
• 18 Eccles: Belinda’s pretty pleasing form 01:16
• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Semele, HWV 58, Act II Scene II:
• 19 Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act II Scene II: O sleep, why dost thou leave me (Semele) 03:21
• Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene II:
• 20 Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene II: My racking thoughts by no kind slumbers freed (Semele) 02:48
• Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene IV:
• 21 Handel: Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene IV: No. 6, I Ever Am Granting (Semele) 01:41
• Henry Purcell: Tyrannic Love, Z. 613, Act IV:
• 22 Purcell: Tyrannic Love, Z. 613, Act IV: No. 2, Ah! How sweet it is to love 04:06
• An Evening Hymn, Z. 193 (Arr. for Soprano and Organ by Benjamin Britten):
• 23 Purcell: An Evening Hymn, Z. 193 (Arr. for Soprano and Organ by Benjamin Britten) 04:40
• Total Runtime 01:01:48

Info zu A Thousand Charms

A Thousand Charms entführt die Zuhörer in zwei Jahrhunderte englischer Liedkunst, von Campions intimen Ayres über Purcells theatralische Meisterwerke bis hin zu Händels ausdrucksstarken Arien. Das Programm zeichnet nach, wie sich das Sololied von der von der Laute inspirierten Einfachheit zu einem reich verzierten Drama entwickelte, das Poesie mit Musik von beeindruckender Klarheit und Tiefe verbindet. Grace Davidsons reine, agile Stimme und Julian Perkins' einfühlsame Cembalo-Begleitung verleihen diesem Repertoire Frische und Unmittelbarkeit und betonen seine Raffinesse, Kreativität und Menschlichkeit. Für alle, die sich von der Schönheit der Alten Musik angezogen fühlen, bietet diese Aufnahme eine fesselnde Reise durch einige ihrer zeitlosesten Werke.

Grace Davidson, Sopran
Julian Perkins, Cembalo

Grace Davidson
‘Light, bright, agile and pure are all words that have been used to describe Grace Davidson’s voice. Yet beneath the gleaming surface of her crystalline sound and pinpoint technical accuracy lie rich reserves of emotional intelligence and expressive artistry. The British soprano's vocal and intuitive armoury en- able her to project the vivid contrasts of mood at the heart of her favourite Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque repertoire with near-divine ease, especially so in the works of Hildegard von Bingen, Mon- teverdi, J.S. Bach, Handel and Vivaldi.’ Her discography includes over a decade of recordings, many of which feature her as a soloist: Handel’s Jephtha, Acis and Galatea, Sliente venti, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Pianto della Madonna, The Lutheran Masses of J. S. Bach and the works by Purcell, Vivaldi and other Baroque composers, to name a few. She has also recorded solo discs with music by Hildegard von Bingen and John Dowland.

Her singing in Fauré’s Requiem (with The London Symphony Orchestra and Tenebrae Nigel Short) was reviewed on BBC Radio 3 by Richard Morrison quite simply ‘Grace Davidson’s Pie Jesu is matchless.’ Grace has also forged fruitful relationships with many contemporary and film composers such as Joe Hisaishi, Harry Gregson Williams, Hanz Zimmer, Howard Shore and Eric Whitacre, but most notably Max Richter who chose her as the solo voice in his 8 hour piece ‘Sleep’ which has been performed all over the world, including Sydney Opera House and The Great Wall Of China. Davidson, born in Lon- don, caught the singing bug during infancy and, after a short spell as a trainee chef, set the foundations for her career as a scholarship student at London's Royal Academy of Music.

Julian Perkins
Dubbed "The Indiana Jones of Early Music" by BBC Radio 3, Julian Perkins brings a dynamic and adventurous spirit to all his music-making. Based in the UK and of dual British-Italian citizenship, he enjoys a busy and varied international career as a conductor/director, chamber musician and solo keyboard player. He is Artistic Director of Portland Baroque Orchestra in Oregon, USA, and Founding Artistic Director of Cambridge Handel Opera and the period-instrument ensemble Sounds Baroque in the UK.

Julian has been praised in print as both conductor and keyboard soloist for his "demonic intensity" (BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month), "fluid and natural pacing" (Gramophone Editor's Choice) and "verve and suavity" (Classical Music), conducting "as if every bar means the world to him" (Opera Disc of the Month), and giving "performances that reach to the heart of the music" (International Record Review). He was shortlisted for the 2021 Gramophone Award for his recording of John Eccles’s Semele, and in August 2023 his latest clavichord disc, Handel's Attick, was Instrumental Choice in BBC Music Magazine.

With Sounds Baroque, Julian has directed acclaimed performances with such singers as Dame Emma Kirkby, Helen Charlston, Anna Dennis, Rebecca Evans, James Gilchrist, Benjamin Hulett, Mark Padmore, Christopher Purves, Carolyn Sampson and Lawrence Zazzo. His appearances include directing ground-breaking performances of new pasticcio operas, co-created with librettist Stephen Pettitt, which tell cogent stories, challenging notions of “authenticity”. He has also directed numerous other ensembles ranging from the Academy of Ancient Music, Croatian Baroque Ensemble, Deutsche Händel-Solisten, New London Singers and Tesserae Baroque to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra & Charlotte Master Chorale, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera and St Paul's Sinfonia, and conducted notable staged and concert productions ranging from over a dozen of Handel's operas and oratorios to Stephen Dodgson's opera, Margaret Catchpole. Earlier in his career, he worked closely with many leading conductors including Christopher Hogwood, Vladimir Jurowski and Trevor Pinnock.

As a keyboard player, Julian has often performed at the Salzburg Festival and appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Florilegium, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestra of The Sixteen and Royal Northern Sinfonia. Active as a recitalist, Julian frequently performs with renowned singers and instrumentalists including his wife, Emma Abbate. He features on many radio stations and has broken new ground at over a dozen international festivals by giving solo clavichord concerts. His distinguished discography includes world-première recordings of over thirty works by composers ranging from Daniel Purcell to Héloïse Werner.

Passionate about education, Julian​ is an advocate of what he terms ‘‘Historically Inspired Performance’’​. He has led many Baroque and Classical projects with ​the Oregon Bach Festival, London's Sinfonia Smith Square​ and National Opera Studio, ​and the​ conservatories in Amsterdam, The Hague and London​. Plans for 2025/2026 include masterclasses and workshops at The Juilliard School in New York and the Venice Conservatory. He has also written a variety of published articles on performance practice and reached a global audience through Handel's Green Room, a​n online forum devised with Cambridge Handel Opera and the scholar Dr Ruth Smith.

​Believing that performing musicians have much in common with athletes, Julian admires Novak Djokovic's discipline – and aims to emulate various aspects of his lifestyle. His own sporting prowess, however, is somewhat limited, and he invariably loses at football to his pre-teenage twin sons.

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