On 11th April 1701, crowds gathered in the Dorset Garden Theatre - London society at its most oppulent, paraded before the stage in wigs and silks. A huge orchestra was assembled before them with trumpets and drums proclaiming that the entertainment had begun!

What's it all about?

Its an opera - but not as we know it. Its an experiment, a flash of inspiration and a breath of fresh air. 

The JoP: Daniel Purcell's The Judgment of Paris has never been recorded before. Its one of four operas written for a competition in 1701. We managed to track down the original score (tucked away in the British Library) and we've made our own edition, its the only one there is!

The story: Think Blind Date with a Restoration twist. Set in ancient Greece, a humble shepherd is challenged by Mercury to choose which of three Goddesses is the most beautiful. What more could he wish for? But its not as easy as that! Each diva tries to win Paris over, but eventually he falls head-over-heels for Venus - Goddess of Love.

The competition: In 1701 a group of noblemen financed a spectacular event to promote opera, in English, in England. Before the competition, operas in England were simply plays with music and dances thrown in for good measure - more High School Musical than Das Rhinegold. The JoP changed all of that, but don't worry - there's not a horned helmet in sight!

A scandal: Four of the best composers in the country entered operas, all using the same libretto. Daniel Purcell, John Eccles and Gottfried Finger were all hugely successful but it was the unknown John Weldon who took home the first prize. Weldon, having learnt how the competition would be judged (imagine 17th century X Factor), was alledged to have filled the audience with his supporters... Finger was so disgusted he left the country in protest!  

Daniel Purcell: A man of mystery, Daniel Purcell has been overshadowed by Henry Purcell for over 300 years - we can't even be sure if they were brothers or cousins. He remains one of the most inventive and exciting composers of the Baroque period. The Judgment of Paris is his greatest work.

Who are we? 

Spiritato! are a dynamic group of young musicians based in London. As individuals we can be found working with many of the best period-instrument orchestras in the world, but together we share a passion for music written for the London theatres at the turn of the 17th century.

We've been going about four years and in 2012 we released our first album for the Resonus Classics label - Bella Dama. We've toured south-west France and earlier this year, we were the only British group to be selected to perform for the European Early Music Network in Marseille. We've appeared at the Brighton Early Music Festival and played live on BBC Radio 3.

For our second album, we're going back to our roots to make the first ever recording of an opera written for the London stage in 1701. We love to discover new, old composers and with this project we've done exactly that. Now its time to show everyone what they've been missing!

Why do we need your help?

This is the largest project we've ever done. We've already raised over half of the total budget for the recording, but without your help it will have all been for nothing. Forty musicians will be involved in the project, including five world-class soloists, specialist instruments need to be hired and venues for rehearsals and recordings booked. The more support we have, the more we can rehearse, the longer we can spend in the studio, and the more fantastic the final result will be!

OK, but if it's so good why hasn't it been done before?

Sometimes you just can't see the wood for the trees. In Britain we love Henry Purcell and Handel, but when this piece was written, Purcell was dead and Handel was yet to arrive in London. There's a huge black hole between 1695 and 1710 which has been ignored for too long. 

However, theatre audiences weren't twiddling their thumbs waiting for Handel to turn up! The stage wasn't silent. Something exciting was happening and a whole generation of English composers were stepping out of the shadow of Henry Purcell and flexing their musical muscles!

The Judgment of Paris marked a new era for the English stage, but it was short-lived. Within 5 years, fashions had changed. The public had developed a taste for opera, but the new sensation of the age was not to be sung in English. Italian opera had arrived and the golden-age of the 'home-grown' English composers was over.

And finally...

Big or small, any donation we receive will make a huge difference to the project. Please help spread the word and follow us on the links below.

THANKS! 

www.spiritato.co.uk

www.facebook.com/spiritato

www.resonusclassics.com/bella-dama