Ian Bostridge sings Blow and Emma Kirby sings Purcell.

[kittennlick]

@oliato7 Northern Ireland is not part of Britain, though it is part of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland. Scotland and Wales are part of Britain (Act of Union with Scotland was in 1707, with Wales in 1536). Have a Google :)

[olialto7]

@kittennlick I'm not disagreeing with any of those points; I was speaking of identity and not of political boundaries. That is to say I was providing information to an American individual about which denizens of the United Kingdom would most likely refer to themselves as 'British'. Many Northern Irish Unionists would do so, and would be more likely to do so than people hailing from Scotland or Wales.There is no need to treat me like an idiot, I am well aware of the uses of Google, thank-you.

[yukikoforevernoise]

I bought this on CD recently after having come back to this several times over the past year. What a great decision that was.

[looterish]

Does anyone know who the theorbo player is? As a lutenist myself, I'm naturally curious. I love to listen to Ian Bostridge, and...Emma, well, she's just fantastic, divine, words like that. I met her last year when she and lutenist Jakob Lindberg performed in Westminster, Maryland. It was like approaching a goddess, only to find her not remote at all, but genuinly interested in my lute playing, singing etc. etc. Thanks Emma!

[AcadiaMusicEditor]

@looterish It is too dark to tell for sure in the video, but the theorbo player is possibly Paula Chateauneuf. Paula was working with Kirkby very much at that time recording and performing Purcell and Blow, and she holds her theorbo just like the player in the video - meaning the neck is very vertical compared to other English players.

[AgnesRegina]

Glorious. Both of them. I love how clear and yet smooth Bostridge's ornaments are... so graceful! And of Kirkby, well, there isn't much to say except that she sings this music as it should be sung.

[davehshs]

What a glorious, gorgeous voice Emma Kirkby has, such purity!

[merseybeat1963]

He kind of sounds like Carolyn Watkinson...great.

[merseybeat1963]

@merseybeat1963 I can't believe I wrote that..

[palfab962]

saw emma at marlborough and bath in the UK, the 2 best concerts of my life

emma really brings these songs alive

beautiful

[dek5704]

By jove! this woman is an angel, temporarily descended to earth if only to brighten my petty mortal coil. to borrow the parlance of the modern young american gent, she is "fucking badass".

[yukikoforevernoise]

@dek5704

Haha, as a modern young american gent I'd like to second that she is indeed fucking badass as well as "the shit."

I've just found out about her while I've been a fan of Bostridge a little less than year now. You have some very fine Baroque interpreters across the pond these days.

[Spanglefeather]

@yukikoforevernoise

This video is 16 years old. I just saw IB in Seattle. and adored it, but his voice has lost its sweetness. He continues to be uneven in performance, although scrupulously correct. He's weird sometimes, but occasionally --- staggeringly, stunningly beautiful.

[yukikoforevernoise]

@dek5704

Oh my mistake your profile says that you are American. Since we are on a video of British performers and your vocabulary as well as your reference to "american gent[s]" I thought that you were British.

[yukikoforevernoise]

@dek5704

Paul Agnew is also a fine Bach interpreter that I heard do "Geduld, Geduld!" from Saint Matthew's Passion. But I think that he's Irish.

[olialto7]

@yukikoforevernoise Scottish.

[yukikoforevernoise]

@olialto7 My mistake. :)

[yukikoforevernoise]

@dek5704

Though technically I believe that's still British. Eh, I'm not an anglophile I don't know how to be political correct in the British sense.

[olialto7]

@yukikoforevernoise Never fear. For further information: You can (italics) rightfully call people from England, Wales,, Scotland or Northern Ireland British. People from the Republic of Ireland are NOT British as they are no longer attached to the United Kingdom, but a nation state in their own right.

Many people from Scotland or Wales (though strangely not from Northern Ireland) may object to being called 'British' as they hold their respective statuses, Welsh or Scottish, as pre-eminent..

[lalagonegaga]

This woman is in posession of the most beautiful voice that ever resounded this Earth.