The King's Consort
The King's Consort is a British period music orchestra founded in 1980 by the English conductor and harpsichordist Robert King (b. 1960, Wombourne). The ensemble has an associated choral group, Choir of The King's Consort. Together, they have made over 100 recordings, from 1987 to 2007 releasing 90 albums on the Hyperion label, and subsequently a further 13 recordings for their own Vivat label, selling over 1,500,000 discs. The orchestra performs concert seasons in the UK and tours internationally.
Their repertoire is primarily from the baroque and early classical periods but has also included late 19th century repertoire as well as contemporary commissions by Michael Finnissy and, more recently, Michael Berkeley and includes recordings and live performances of opera and instrumental music. The ensemble's main performing base has been in London's Wigmore Hall from 1987, and the larger Cadogan Hall for performances that required both the orchestra and the choir. The King's Consort have performed seven times at the BBC Proms including their début in 1991 with Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, Handel’s Deborah in 1993, a programme celebrating the 300th anniversary of the death of Purcell (1995), the Venetian spectacular Lo Sposalizio (1998), The Coronation of King George II, a special programme to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (2002), Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 (2004), and Michael Haydn's Requiem Mass and Mozart's Coronation Mass (2006).
The King's Consort Choir appears on the sound tracks of several films, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Kingdom of Heaven, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Da Vinci Code.
Amongst their awards was the 2006 BBC Music Magazine Choral Award for their recording of Michael Haydn's Requiem Mass. On their Vivat label, their debut recording, I Was Glad, reached number 1 in the UK Specialist Classical Albums Chart and was a finalist in the 2013 Gramophone Awards. A series of recordings of the music of Purcell were finalists in the Gramophone awards in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
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Arise, my Muse : Symphony - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : Arise, my muse, and to thy tuneful lyre - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : Ye sons of music, raise your voices high - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : Then sound your instruments - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : See how the glitt'ring ruler of the day - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : Hail, gracious Gloriana, hail - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : And since the time's distress - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : To quell his country's foes - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Arise, my Muse : But ah, I see Eusebia drown'd in tears - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : Symphony - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : Love's goddess sure was blind - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : Those eyes, that form, that lofty mien - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : Sweetness of nature - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : Long may she reign over this isle - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : May her blest example chase - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : Many such days may she behold - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : May she to heaven late return - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Love's goddess sure : As much as we below shall mourn - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Symphony - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Opening solos & chorus - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Britain, now thy cares beguile - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : 'Tis sacred, bid the trumpet cease - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Let sullen Discord smile - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Crown the altar, deck the shrine - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Expected Spring at last is come - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : April, who till now has mourned - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Departing thus you'll hear him say - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Happy realm, beyond expressing - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : While, for a righteous cause he arms - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Return, fond Muse, the thoughts of war - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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Celebrate this festival : Kindly treat Maria's day - Purcell - Birthday Odes for Queen Mary -
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