Some of Handel’s most magnificent and regal choral writing is collected on this CD. The most popular work on it, by far, is the Coronation Anthem ‘Zadok the Priest’. Both the Coronation Anthems and the ‘Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne’ were written for monarchs and the opening of the ‘Ode’ with its trumpet solo, contains one of the most divinely beautiful ‘sunrise’ melodies ever written.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
Four Coronation Anthems:
Zadok the Priest
Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened
The King Shall Rejoice
My Heart is Inditing
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
English Chamber Orchestra
David Willcocks
Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne
Emma Kirkby, soprano
Judith Nelson, soprano
Shirly Minty, contralto
James Bowman, countertenor
Martin Hill, tenor
David Thomas, bass
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Academy of Ancient Music
Simon Preston
‘an excellent bargain’ *** Penguin Guide to CDs (2000 Yearbook)