John Eliot / English Baroque Soloists / Monteverdi Choir Gardiner - Purcell: King Arthur (2 LPs)

Not only did Sir John Eliot Gardiner celebrate his 80th birthday on April 20th, he will be conducting at the coronation of King Charles III in London on May 6th.

It has been 30 years since he led this recording of Purcell’s high-spirited ‘semi-opera’ King Arthur, now released on LP. The work is famed above all for ‘What power art thou?’ – also known as ‘The Cold Song’ – an evocation of winter that freezes the blood. Gardiner conducts two ensembles he founded – the Monteverdi Choir and Monteverdi Orchestra – and the singers include Jennifer Smith, Paul Elliott and Stephen Varcoe.

“A polished, extremely stylish and beautifully recorded performance which you are unlikely ever to hear bettered,” was Gramophone’s verdict when the recording first appeared. On its re-release some years later, Opera magazine wrote: “The joie de vivre in Gardiner’s Purcell lifts the spirits … His King Arthur is still the best.”