Purcell’s Lament

Saturday 11th July 2026 | 7:30pm | St Swithin’s, Walcot, bath

buy tickets via Bath Box Office

It’s a cold November evening in 1695. Henry Purcell staggers home after an evening in the pub and finds himself locked out of his house. Too sozzled to think straight, he lies down to sleep in the street and catches his death.

At his funeral his friends gather to lament the death of England’s greatest composer.

So begins Purcell’s Lament, an original piece of concert-theatre celebrating the life and music of Henry Purcell. And what music!

The Cold Song
Dido’s Lament
The Fairy Queen
Hear My Prayer
One Charming Night
Funeral Sentences for Queen Mary
They that Go Down to the Sea in Ships

Step back in time and experience staged versions of his soaring anthems, haunting arias, tavern songs, and beautiful courtly dances.

Come and celebrate a life lived in music which still has the power to move and delight over 300 years after it was written, and which continues to inspire composers across the world.Words and music combine in this immersive staged concert exploring Henry Purcell’s life. 

A new script by Stewart Harcourt weaves together Purcell’s most moving songs and choral works in a portrait of loss, love and the joy of music that endures. 

Featuring baroque instrumentalists, soprano and baritone soloists, and brought to life a stage director and Paragon’s acclaimed director Sarah Latto.

If you loved Paragon’s dramatised performance of Handel’s Messiah in 2022, then book your tickets today.