Best Purcell recordings

[Reverend Bong]

Recent posts have alerted me to the existence of Jordi Savall recordings of The Faerie Queen and the fantasias for viols.

I'd be grateful for suggestions of the very best sounding recordings of other Purcell repertoire.  Out of print is fine, I enjoy the hunt.  There is some preference for vinyl here, but good CDs are often excellent, and now we can play SACDs they are very highly regarded by the Bongolians.

[TheGSMoeller]

 A few of my favorites that I find to excel in both performance and sound quality...

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[HIPster]

Those all look good, Greg! 

I particularly like the single disc instrumental collection by Tafelmusik:
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*Also available in a newer edition, on their own label. . .

Also available as a part of this excellent boxed set from Sony (how I have it):
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Excellent collection all around, but sadly, does not include liner notes.  Worth it for the price imo, however.

[HIPster]

Another excellent boxed set - containing some fine Purcell:
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While no liner notes per se, there is a booklet included with players, instruments used and some limited information on the recording sessions (where, when and who, but sadly, not the microphones used - something I always like to read about).

This recording is included and while it is similar to the Tafelmusik, I also think it is worth having as a part of this set:
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Listening to this now and enjoying it very much!  I seem to recall that the Tafelmusik had beter sound, but this is sounding pretty good to me right now.  Not "reference" or demonstration quality sound by any means, but good nonetheless.  Perhaps a slightly recessed perspective and not as up-front and immediate as Tefelmusik's, with a homogenization of the instrumental blend somewhat (particularly the strings).  I seem to often feel this way about many DHM releases however and YMMV. . .

Also included in this box, is this one:
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Though I do not have it, there is this Brilliant set, which looks nice:
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*7 discs

[TheGSMoeller]

Those all look good, Greg! 

The are, HIPster, check them out. Also, thank you for posting some non-opera discs, that's about all I own of Purcell. Giving me some good recs here.   

[Mandryka]

Check Les Voix Humaines' Fantasias, the record on DHM with the Leonhardt and Brüggen consorts, the three part sonatas with Hogwood and Coin and someone else who I can't remember,  and John Butt's record of English organ music and Skip Sempé/Capriccio Stravagante. There's also a record that Leonhardt made of organ and harpsichord muisic on Philips, but I can't remember if it was any good. There was also a record from Masques/ Olivier Fortin which friends of mine liked but I never got into - probably just me getting distracted.

All of the above have good sound. All of the below don't.

There are a couple of off the wall things I can share with you if you want. One is Leonhardt playing "Crown the Altar" in St Petersberg in 2011. Leonhardt made a studio recording on harpsichord too, but the live was somehow more touching I recall, maybe because of the context.

And a recording Peter Pears made of the Queen's Epicedium in 1946. I'm a great fan of early Pears recordings and this is something I really treasure.

I once spent some time just listening to tons of performances of Music for a While. Try to hear Alfred Deller/Walter Bergman. I know it's probably bad taste but I have a soft spot for early Deller like I have for early Pears. YMMV.

The only opera I know is Dido. I'll try to listen again to Currentzis. I remember some new instrumental music for it was discovered about ten years ago or less - there was a forgettable production with it here in London at Cadogan Hall, part of some sort of Purcell festival.