Purcell: Fantazias Chelys Consort of Viols

• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695):
• 1Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 15 in G Minor, In Nomine a 6, Z. 74602:04
• 2Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 4 in G Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 73503:22
• 3Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 5 in B-Flat Major, Fantasia a 4, Z. 73603:53
• 4Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z. 629 (Excerpts): Rondeau in B-Flat Major01:22
• 5Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 6 in F Major, Fantasia a 4, Z. 73703:21
• 6Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 7 in C Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 73804:08
• 7Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Z. 629 (Excerpts): Chaconne "Dance for a Chinese Man and Woman"02:45
• 8Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 8 in D Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 73903:40
• 9Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 9 in A Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 74004:03
• 10Purcell: Dioclesian, Z. 627 "The Prophetess": Chaconne "Two in One upon a Ground"02:33
• 11Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 10 in E Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 74103:39
• 12Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 11 in G Major, Fantasia a 4, Z. 74203:11
• 13Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 12 in D Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 74303:01
• 14Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 13 in A Minor, Fantasia a 4, Z. 744 (Incomplete)01:03
• 15Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 14 in F Major, Fantasia a 5, Z. 745 "Fantasia upon One Note"02:50
• 16Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 1 in D Minor, Fantasia a 3, Z. 73202:38
• 17Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 2 in F Major, Fantasia a 3, Z. 73302:55
• 18Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 3 in G Minor, Fantasia a 3, Z. 73402:28
• 19Purcell: Chacony in G Minor, Z. 73004:11
• 20Purcell: Fantasias & In Nomines: No. 16 in G Minor, In Nomine a 7, Z. 74703:20
• Total Runtime01:00:27

Info for Purcell: Fantazias

At the age of 20, Henry Purcell entered his 14 Fantasias and two In Nomines into an autograph bearing the title ‘The Works of Hen; Purcell, A.D. 1680’. Despite his youth Purcell was already making his mark as a composer, writing music for the London theatres and holding posts at Westminster Abbey and at court. But unlike his works for the theatre and the church, which were intended for specific occasions, very little is known about the impulse behind fantasias.

Composed for between three and seven parts they are a consciously anachronistic distillation of an old style at a time when the reigning taste was for more modern sounds – for dance-based music with lively rhythms and hummable tunes. It isn’t even clear what kind of ensemble they were intended for: given the association with older music, one might assume that Purcell had viols in mind, but the distribution of the parts is not always in keeping with the standard sizes of the viol consort – nor for that matter those of the violin consort. Were the fantasias in fact ever performed? None of these questions has a satisfactory answer, and in this respect the Purcell Fantasias resemble Bach’s The Art of the Fugue, because of their quality and inventiveness but also owing to the mysteries that surround them. The collection is here performed by Chelys Consort of Viols, following up on three previous and acclaimed releases on BIS featuring the music of Michael East, John Dowland and Christopher Simpson.

Chelys Consort of Viols

Chelys Consort of Viols
Described by Gramophone as having released 'unquestionably the most beautiful recording of the Lachrimae', Chelys have garnered a reputation for their faithful yet fresh interpretations of the consort repertoire. They take their name from an ancient Greek word which referred to a bowed lyre, said to have been invented by the god Hermes. The word was borrowed by the English violist Christopher Simpson on the title page of his treatise 'The Division Viol' when he translated the work into Latin. Perhaps this is what inspired their world premiere recording of Simpson's Airs for two trebles and two basses, a disc described as ‘wonderfully supple, propulsive and alive’ by the Guardian.

The members of Chelys are among the UK’s leading exponents of the viol, particularly as a consort instrument, and their consort viols are strung entirely in gut (not strings overwound with metal), which lends them a particularly distinctive sound. They frequently collaborate with other period instrumentalists and singers, especially enjoying repertoire for voices and viols. A recent highlight has been a project with vocal consort Fieri, performing and recording the complete 5-part viol fantasias of Michael East alongside some of East’s compositions for voices and viols. The two ensembles also commissioned a piece from composer Jill Jarman, to celebrate writing for voices and viols 400 years after East published his pieces. Chelys were delighted to join Dame Emma Kirkby for her 70th birthday celebration concert at the Wigmore Hall, and their performances and recording of Dowland with Emma and lutenist Jamie Akers have been beautifully melancholic!

The consort record for the BIS label, with whom they are about to release their version of the complete fantasias and in nomines by Henry Purcell, some of the latest, and many would say best music written for viol consort. Their discs have received considerable critical acclaim, being praised by BBC Music Magazine for their 'light as gossamer' sound, and the Guardian for being 'wonderfully supple, propulsive and alive!'

The members of Chelys can be found in all sorts of other places in the wider Early Music world: playing with ensembles such as the Rose Consort of Viols, Fretwork, Musica Secreta and Ensemble Moliere, teaching on courses including the Benslow Trust, NORVIS, Dartington, the Irish Recorder and Viol Summer School, the Easter Early Music Course, and coaching viol consorts at the Royal College of Music and Oxford University.

Booklet for Purcell: Fantazias