Henry Purcell: an Orpheus Brittanicus for today

Henry Purcell: an Orpheus Brittanicus for today

In this inaugural Purcell Lecture, given in Stationers’ Hall where Henry Purcell’s famous Ode to St Cecilia was first heard in 1692, Sir Nicholas Kenyon celebrates the genius of one of our greatest composers and considers what lessons his music has for us today.

Kenyon will explore the impact of Purcell throughout the years of the early music revival, referencing the rich archival holdings of the Stationers Company, exploring key figures in the Purcell revival from Arnold Dolmetsch and Peter Warlock to Alfred Deller, Benjamin Britten, Imogen Holst and Michael Tippett. In the recent revival of period-instrument performance, leading figures such as Christopher Hogwood and William Christie have highlighted Purcell in their repertory, and his music continues to be heard in many different guises. 

Purcell and his widespread influence on contemporary composers provides an inspiring hope for the future of British music. As Orpheus Brittanicus, he has represented many of the things we regard as ‘Englishness' in music, but it can be argued that his truly unique quality is as a cosmopolitan composer who took the best of continental practice and made it his own. 

Purcell’s enduring importance in the story of British music is a salutary warning to us in the face of many challenges, economic and educational, to cultivate and sustain music-making in our lives, providing a beacon of hope for the future of British music and music-making. 

Sir Nicholas Kenyon was Controller of BBC Radio 3 (1992-8), Director of the BBC Proms (1996-2007), and Managing Director of the Barbican Centre (2007-21). He has been a music critic for The New Yorker, The Times and The Observer, and is now Chief Opera Critic of The Telegraph. He edited the journal Early Music (1983-92) and edited the influential volume Authenticity and Early Music. He has written books on Bach, Mozart, Simon Rattle and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and most recently published The Life of Music. He is now researching the history of the early music revival as a Distinguished Affiliate Scholar of Pembroke College Cambridge.

This inaugural Purcell Lecture will be a landmark occasion for the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, in association with the Worshipful Company of Musicians, generously supported by Roger Mayhew.

Schedule:
6.30 PM Drinks reception
7.00 PM Welcome and Music
7.20 PM Sir Nicholas Kenyon Lecture
8.00 PM Music
8.10 PM Drinks Reception and Sandwiches

9.30 PM Event Ends