• Philippa Hyde soprano
• Kate Semmens soprano
• James Hall countertenor
• Daniel Norman tenor
• Richard Andrews narrator
• Essex Baroque Orchestra
• directed by Steven Devine

Thomas Arne’s Alfred is universally known today for just one number, ‘Rule! Britannia’, performed every year at the Last Night of the Proms. However, the complete score contains some of Arne’s finest music and was one of his favourite works. It started life in 1740 as a short outdoor masque for Cliveden, the Thameside country house of Frederick, Prince of Wales. It was subsequently performed in the London theatres in expanded form as a masque, as an opera and as an oratorio. This performance is based on the full score Arne published in 1753.

SVF favourite Philippa Hyde appears with Kate Semmens and Daniel Norman, who sang with her in The Coronation of Poppea last Festival. They are joined by the exciting young countertenor James Hall, currently making a name for himself in concert and opera – including George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Richard Andrews contributes a narration conveying the essence of the play and the historical implications.

Concert supported by donors to the Anthony King Memorial Fund.