The image on the cover is of multifaceted gemstones – an appropriate metaphor for the diamond purity of Purcell's Sonatas in Four Parts, though not for the music's irrepressible individuality and invention. These gems, published posthumously in 1697, are anything but regular. The melodic writing often takes steps of unusual length in unexpected directions, and the harmony can shift the ground from under your feet or carry you aloft as if defying all rules of musical gravity. This set includes the famous Golden Sonata and others equally as wondrous. The line-up of The King's Consort may be international, but the beautifully turned playing style is English in its reserve. url.ie/tcha