There is so much to enjoy in this superb collection of John Blow’s odes and instrumental music: fine solo and ensemble singing, beautifully articulated strings, crisp and tangy theorbos, punchy baroque guitar, all driven by the abundantly talented Jonathan Cohen at the harpsichord and chamber organ. Samuel Boden and Thomas Walker are perfect for the tenor/countertenor range of Blow’s vivid vocal lines, particularly in the sombre beauty of his lament on Purcell’s death. Special mention for Callum Thorpe, bass, who mines the lowest register down to a bottom D in Music’s the Cordial of a Troubled Breast, one of the many highlights of the ode Begin the Song!
