From ‘Music for a while’ to ‘Nymphs and shepherds’ , Purcell’s music has always been thought of as quintessentially English. Yet his idiom was thoroughly international, bringing together influences from around Europe.
In advance of the evening’s performance of Dido & Aeneas, our guest lecturer, the distinguished arts administrator and writer on music Sir Nicholas Kenyon reflects on Purcell’s changing reputation over the years, the nature of Englishness in music from Tye and Tavener to Vaughan Williams and Britten, and considers what lessons Purcell holds for our music-making today.