Beauteous Softness

?Beauteous Softness is La Nuova Musica's third Pentatone album, presenting restrained yet profoundly moving songs by seventeenthcentury English composers such as Purcell, Blow, Humfrey and Webb. The album also showcases the rich musical context that provided the foundation from which Purcell rose to prominence. David Bates and his players perform them together with Tim Mead, one of today's most outstanding countertenors. La Nuova Musica and it's artistic director David Bates are among the most exciting Baroque ensembles of today. Their Pentatone debut with Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice was both BBC Music Magazine's Choice and Gramophone Editor's Choice in December 2019, while Handel's Unsung Heroes (2021) was BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month and selected among the Best Classical Music Albums of 2022 by Gramophone. Tim Mead returns to the label after having starred in a complete recording of Handel's Messiah (2020).