Henry Purcell (mostly) in Love

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Saturday, June 22nd, 2024
7:00 PM to 9:01 PM

You don't want to miss this mini-opera which is sure to delight and entertain. Countertenor Nicholas Burns, tenor Shane Hanson, and harpsichordist Christophe Gautier have arranged the songs of Henry Purcell in dialogue with each other such that they follow the story of fictional rivals. The rivals (played by Hanson and Burns) are college dorm-mates who are both attempting to woo the same girl, a classmate from their university. The songs serve as ‘arias’ on the unfolding drama. Christophe Gauthier will accompany on harpsichord and narrate this evening of debauchery, longing, loss, and of course, love.

This programme capitalizes on the dramatic nature of song in Purcell’s era, but in an updated, contemporary context. Today, Purcell’s music suffers from a ‘crisis of context’. Frequently humourful, often ridiculous, many of Purcell’s songs are from larger lost works of theatre. The programme will provide a modern, and often quite silly, context for these songs to be ‘re-admired’. The programme will feature both well-known and lesser known works (like one of Purcell’s humorous rounds), including repertoire that was never intended for a countertenor to sing, such as Dido’s Lament.
More information and tickets are available at https://saltspringbaroque.com/