Purcell: Anthems & Sacred Songs

When scholarly interest in music of the baroque period perked up in the mid-20th century, one of the first composers to receive revived attention was Henry Purcell, arguable one of two or three finest musicians in English history. Since then that interest has hardly waned, as this lovely collection of Purcell’s religious anthems and Biblical text settings demonstrates. The all-male Chanticleer ensemble brings both energy and subtlety to these pieces, which include the familiar anthems “Rejoice in the Lord Always” (a.k.a. “The Bell Anthem”) and “My Heart Is Inditing.” As always with this group, you may find it hard to believe that it consists entirely of men – the countertenors sound simply amazing.