Leeds Baroque, “A celebration of Henry Purcell”

Thanks to the generous support of Leeds Philosophical and Literary society, Leeds Baroque were able to enhance their final concert of 2024 “A celebration of Henry Purcell” with an impressive array of vocal soloists.
The repertoire chosen for the Purcell programme was challenging for solo roles, demanding the skill and experience of professional performers. We were joined by soprano Philippa Hyde, counter tenor Francis Gush, tenor Charles Daniels and Bass Stuart O’Harra, four singers all noted for their expertise in repertoire of the 17th century.
In addition to the choir the orchestral forces for the programme were extensive – in addition to the core membership of strings we also were joined by theorbo, two natural trumpets, two oboes and our specialist Baroque timpani.
The performance was held in the Great Hall of Leeds University and we welcomed an audience of over two hundred for a performance that proved to be a visual and aural experience.
Here is what a member of the audience thought:
Thank you so much for the concert today.
I very much enjoyed the concert. I love Purcell so I knew It would be good but the performance opened up new perspectives, like ‘Saul and the witch of Endor’ and even the much better known ‘ Hail bright Cecilia’. That was really stunning. Apart from the music, the staging was so dramatic. I thought the soloists coming from the back and the opposite side was really effective.
We hope some members were able to attend the performance and see just how much your support has helped in bringing this repertoire to Leeds.