PURCELL Raise, raise the voice, Z 334; Urge me no more, Z 426; Sonata in B minor, Z 802; Hosanna to the Highest, Z187; selected music from King Arthur, or The British Worthy

Love conquers all in a programme juxtaposing Purcell’s court and theatre music.

From the knotty harmonies of an eloquent ode (‘Raise, raise the voice’) celebrating the Patron Saint of Music and ‘Urge me no more’ – which posits that ‘melodious lutes’ only belong to cheerful times – to extracts from the dramatic opera King Arthur, this concert explores themes of magic, myth, authority, nature and transformation.