United Kingdom One Charming Night – Purcell, Lully: Nicholas Mulroy (tenor), Toby Carr (lute), Sarah Sexton (violin), Sarah Moffat (violin), Rachel Stott (tenor viola), Sarah McMahon (violoncello). Stoke Newington Old Church, London, 18.1.2026 (JR)
Purcell – ‘Evening Hymn’ (text by Bishop William Fuller); ‘See, Even Night’ (The Fairy Queen); Chaconne two in one upon a Ground; ‘One Charming Night’ (The Fairy Queen); ‘A Prince of Glorious Race Descended’ (Birthday Ode for the Duke of Gloucester); Fantasia 5; ‘In the Black Dismal Dungeon of Despair’ (text by Bishop William Fuller); ‘Music for a While’ (Incidental music to Oedipus); ‘Be Welcome then, Great Sir’; Fantasia 7; ‘Beauty, Thou Scheme of Love’; ‘The Sparrow and the Gentle Dove’; ‘The Plaint’ (The Fairy Queen)
Lully (arr de Visée) – Entrée d’Apollon for solo lute
There are precious few festivals dedicated to early music, so it was a pleasure to find one very close to home, with the esteemed tenor Nicholas Mulroy as a soloist in several songs by Purcell. The concert was entitled ‘One Charming Night’, with most of the songs focussing on Purcell’s fascination with all things nocturnal. This did make for a rather downbeat atmosphere on a grey, damp, winter’s evening.
The festival was started as a community event based in Stoke Newington, North London and remains a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation with the aim of bringing fine early music performers to this historic area of London. The venue for this concert was the atmospheric Old Church in Stoke Newington, now also an arts venue. The Grade II building was formerly the medieval and Tudor church of St Mary’s, a church on the site is first recorded in 1314; most of the building was completed in 1563. The small church could well be in an English country village, and it proved a perfect venue for this concert.
Mulroy chose a number of songs with night-time themes, so often only needing the softest of voice, to great effect. His diction of the English words was, as ever, crystal-clear. He clearly reveres the music of Purcell, and his love of the music was infectious (his next concerts in Paris and London will also feature Purcell). Mulroy brought each song alive with facial and body gestures, full of vocal colour on every word. When needed, he could also be forceful, not needing much heft to fill the small church. I particularly relished ‘Be Welcome then, Great Sir’, Mulroy producing some lovely high notes for ‘so mild and gentle’.
Mulroy also sang of the beauty of love, and then in ‘The Sparrow and the Dove’ of winter turning to spring. In his final song, ‘The Plaint’, Mulroy sang of heartfelt grief, harking on the words ‘forever weep’.
Just before the end of the concert lutenist Toby Carr gave us a delicate solo interlude (actually it was the lute’s larger 14-stringed sister, the theorbo). (Interesting early music fact: it is around 6 feet tall, and folds to enable it to be carried more easily).
To alleviate the gloom, we were treated to a jaunty, jolly, rollicking encore: ‘Now the Night is Chased Away’, from The Fairy Queen, a song celebrating the birthday of King Oberon. Sadly, we were deprived of some of Purcell’s bawdy songs, more appropriate perhaps in a local tavern.
The string players accompanied Mulroy to perfection and also gave us some charming orchestral interludes. More interesting early music facts: Rachel Stott, now the current Director of the Festival (which was founded in 1995), played a tenor viola, which is larger than the standard viola, giving it a bigger and deeper sound, assisted on this occasion by four gut strings. Cellist Sarah McMahon played with an out-curved bow for a more articulated sound.
The concert was a sell-out, a fascinating concert of taste and quality. Early music lovers should certainly consider supporting the Festival by becoming a Friend and also go onto to the Festival’s e-mail list: their website is here.
John Rhodes