In the Midst of Life

Contemporaries across the English Channel, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (b.1643), John Blow (b.1649), and Henry Purcell (b.1659) wove Italian, English, and French styles into distinct national traditions, skillfully evoking themes of elegy and lamentation. Among Purcell’s most expressive works are his plea for divine protection Jehovah, quam multi sunt hostes mei!, the solemn Remember not, Lord, our offences, and the powerful dissonance of Funeral Sentences (composed for the funeral of Queen Mary). Blow’s heartfelt Salvator Mundi will also be performed alongside the French baroque elegance of Charpentier’s Messe Port-Royal and motet Le Reniement de Saint Pierre a dramatic account of Peter’s denial of Christ.