Sound the Trumpet: Royal Music of Purcell & Handel

In the year of Queen Elizabeth II s Diamond Jubilee, Alison Balsom
celebrates the heroic era of the Baroque trumpet in works by George
Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and Henry Purcell (1658 or 1659-1695),
whose anthems, odes, sinfonias and operas have provided the music for
numerous royal celebrations from their own day to the present.
Joining forces with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert orchestra
that he founded, Balsom demonstrates the versatility and expressive power
of her valve-less instrument in original works and new arrangements.
These include Purcell s Sound the trumpet and Handel s Eternal Source of
light divine in duet with countertenor Iestyn Davies and Purcell s The
Plaint from The Fairy Queen in duet with soprano Lucy Crowe.
Recently crowned Female Artist of the Year for the second time at the
Classic BRITs, Alison Balsom has cemented an international reputation
as one of classical music s great ambassadors and is ranked among the
most distinctive and ground-breaking musicians on the international
circuit today. Balsom has also been honored with numerous awards by
Gramophone, Classic FM and ECHO Klassik.