The Consort has gone through several major phases in its long life, reflecting the range of passions of Anthony Rooley. The line-up of performers has likewise changed over the years, and expands to encompass particular projects. Core singers since 2004; Evelyn Tubb soprano, Lucy Ballard alto, Andrew King tenor, Simon Grant bass.
The group has made more than 120 recordings that reflect the exploration of music of earlier times, though many of the earlier recordings only exist on vinyl. The Consort’s recent CD recordings include the pre-Raphaelite madrigals of Robert Lucas Pearsall, and the motets of the Dutch composer Verrijt, which received enthusiastic responses from the Dutch critics.
Current repertoire includes a theatrical programme of mad songs; an exploration of English Biblical Narratives of the 17th Century; and a programme which weaves the music of John Dowland with that of his contemporaries, reflecting the close-knit musical community of his day.
Discography
The Consort's earliest recordings on LP for Decca Classics' L'Oiseau Lyre early-music label were for many years unobtainable, although some major recordings, such as the first and only complete recording of Le Chansonnier Cordiforme, were reissued in Japan. Several of these LPs were released by Australian Eloquence on CD for the first time during 2009 and 2010. Other recordings were released in the 12 disc box Dowland - The Collected Works (2007). Consort discs made up 18 of the 50 discs in The Medieval & Renaissance box set released in 2016 by Universal Music's Decca label.
Vocal members included Mary Nichols, whose voice was described as the firmest in the business by Anthony Rooley. At least one of her recordings is in the Library of Congress in Washington.
Alfred George Deller, CBE, was an English singer and one of the main figures in popularising the return of the countertenor voice in Renaissance and Baroque music during the 20th century.
Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne is a secular cantata composed by George Frideric Handel to a libretto by Ambrose Philips, of which the first line, "Eternal source of light divine", provides an alternative title for the work. It was probably composed during January 1713 for a performance on 6 February 1713, although there is no record of the performance having actually taken place. Other catalogues of Handel's music have referred to the work as HG xlvi A; and HHA i/6.
Anthony Rooley is a British lutenist.
Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings.
David Thomas is an English classical bass singer, performing mostly in concert. He has performed internationally at notable concert halls and festivals.
Andreas Scholl is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range, specialising in Baroque music.
Membra Jesu nostri, BuxWV 75, is a cycle of seven cantatas composed in 1680 by Dieterich Buxtehude and dedicated to Gustaf Düben. More specifically and fully it is, in Buxtehude’s phrase, a “devotione decantata,” or “sung devotion,” titled Membra Jesu nostri patientis sanctissima, which translates from the Latin as Limbs Most Holy of Our Suffering Jesus. Regarding genre, the cycle consists in seven concerto-aria cantatas, a form that had emerged in Germany in the 1660s. The stanzas of its main text are drawn from the medieval hymn Salve mundi salutare, also known as the Rhythmica oratio, formerly ascribed to Bernard of Clairvaux but now thought to be by Arnulf of Leuven. Each cantata addresses a part of Jesus’ crucified body: feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart and face; in each, Biblical words referring to the limb frame verses of the hymn’s text.
Voces8, styled VOCES8, is an a cappella octet from England. They have appeared internationally and made recordings of classical music, jazz, pop, and their own arrangements. Recent recordings are for Decca Classics and under their own label, Voces8 Records. Educational efforts are run by the Voces8 Foundation.
The Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB) is a music academy and research institution located in Basel, Switzerland, that focuses on early music and historically informed performance. Faculty at the school have organized performing ensembles that have made notable recordings of early music. One of the more popular of these is the 1994 album Chill to the Chant.
Joshua is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. It was composed in a month, from 19 July 1747 to 19 August 1747, six months before the beginning of the oratorio season. Joshua is Handel's fourth oratorio based on a libretto by Thomas Morell. The oratorio premiered on 9 March 1748 at the Covent Garden Theatre, London. Joshua is based on the Biblical story of Joshua as the leader of the ancient Israelites. The story follows the Israelites from their passage over the Jordan River into Caanan and through the Battle of Jericho. The work also includes a love story elaborated from a few hints in the Biblical narrative between Caleb's daughter Achsah and Othniel, a young soldier.
Charles Daniels is an English tenor, particularly noted for his performances of baroque music. He is a frequent soloist with The King's Consort, and has made over 25 recordings with the ensemble on the Hyperion label.
Judith Anne Nelson, née Manes was an American soprano, noted for her performances of baroque music at the beginning of the "early music revival" of the 1970s and 1980s.
Jakob Lindberg is a Swedish lutenist, performing solo, in small and large ensembles, and also directing operas, using instruments of the lute and guitar families. He is known for the first ever recording of the Complete Solo Lute Music of John Dowland as well as for recording music never before recorded, with repertoire dating back to the Renaissance period.
Underground Railroad is a live album by saxophonist and composer Joe McPhee recorded in 1969 at the Holy Cross Monastery and originally released on the CjR label, then reissued by Atavistic in 2001 with a bonus concert from the same venue.
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Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 1 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with a ninetet, recorded at the Yoshi's in 1997 and released on the Leo label in 2002 as a double CD.
Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 2 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with a ninetet, recorded at the Yoshi's in 1997 and released on the Leo label in 2003 as a double CD.
Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 3 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with a ninetet, recorded at the Yoshi's in 1997 and released on the Leo label in 2005 as a double CD.
Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 4 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with a ninetet, recorded at the Yoshi's in 1997 and released on the Leo label in 2007 as a double CD.
The First Book of Songs is a collection of songs by John Dowland which includes one instrumental piece. The book was published in London in 1597 and was reprinted four times during the composer's lifetime.
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