Henry Purcell, King Arthur

Purcell's 1691 semi-opera, also known as The British Worthy, is among his most famous compositions, containing some of his best-known and spectacular music. The original stage play, a reworking by Dryden of the dark-age legend, inspired Purcell to compose some of his most memorable music, including the imposing Sacrifice Scene, some stirring battle music, the well-known Frost Scene with its shivering players and singers, and the song 'Fairest Isle', one of his most popular solo numbers (and an inspiration for this year's festival theme). The musical ensemble is here joined by members of University of York Theatre, Film and TV Department who will present the stage play in this semi-staged performance.

Admissions information

Admission by ticket only (£20, Concessions £17, Students £5). Please go to the tickets page to register.

Pre-Concert Talk: Purcell’s King Arthur

Sunday 10 July 2011, 6pm, Rymer Auditorium, Department of Music, University of York

Towards the end of his reign, Charles II launched an ambitious PR campaign to celebrate the glories of the Stuart dynasty. Among the artistic results was an Arthurian semi-opera, scripted by Poet Laureate John Dryden, which sought to bring Charles's mythical forebear back to life on stage. The king’s unexpected death postponed the production for seven years, by which time the political context had changed completely. Whose side was Dryden on? What was he trying to say? In this talk, Purcell specialist Andrew Pinnock shares some of his recent research on King Arthur, unpeeling layers of meaning in Dryden's text to expose the blatant propaganda purpose at its heart.

This talk is free to those attending the concert