Composer: George Frideric Handel
Performer: Emma Kirkby, Iestyn Davies, James Gilchrist, Neal Davies, Trinity College Choir Cambridge
Orchestra: Academy of Ancient Music
Conductor: Stephen Layton
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Catalogue: CDA67737
Release: 2009
Size: 307 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
O Praise the Lord with One Consent “Chandos Anthem No. 9”, HWV 254
01. I. O Praise the Lord with One Consent
02. II. Praise Him, All Ye That in His House
03. III. For This Our Truest Int’rest Is
04. IV. That God Is Great
05. V. With Cheerful Notes
06. VI. God’s Tender Mercy
07. VII. Ye Boundless Realms of Joy
08. VIII. Your Voices Raise
Let God Arise “Chandos Anthem No. 11a”, HWV 256a
09. I. Sonata. Andante – Allegro
10. II. Let God Arise
11. III. Like as the Smoke Vanisheth
12. IV. Let the Righteous Be Glad
13. V. O Sing unto God
14. VI. Praised Be the Lord!
15. VII. At Thy Rebuke, O God
16. VIII. Blessed Be God
My Song Shall Be Alway “Chandos Anthem No. 7”, HWV 252
17. I. Sonata. Largo e staccato – Allegro
18. II. My Song Shall Be Alway
19. III. For Who Is He Among the Clouds
20. IV. God Is Very Greatly To Be Feared
21. V. The Heav’ns Are Thine
22. VI. Righteousness and Equity
23. VII. Blessed Is the People
24. VIII. Thou Art the Glory
In a year of Handel celebration and many new recordings, this is a welcome addition to the discography. Stephen Layton, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a stellar group of soloists—in fact, the best in solo Handel singing that this country has to offer—present a disc of three of the Chandos anthems which is sure to achieve the same critical and public acclaim as the recent Dettingen Te Deum from Trinity.
Here we have the composer at his most English and most gently appealing. Written for the musical establishment of the first Duke of Chandos, these anthems set texts taken from the Psalms, mainly the old version of the Psalter as preserved in the Book of Common Prayer, but also the metrical versions of Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady, first published in 1696. The anthems have no direct models in English church music, but follow the form used by Handel for his Latin psalm settings, with a mixture of movements for solo voices and choruses. The expressive range of the solos is remarkable, and in the choruses Handel seizes every opportunity to create grand effects with modest means.
There has never been a wealth of satisfying recordings of Handel’s Chandos Anthems available, so admirers of the works should be grateful for Hyperion’s release three of the eleven anthems, especially because they are exceptionally well performed and recorded. Skilled and seasoned conductor Stephen Layton leads the Trinity College Choir, Cambridge, the Academy of Ancient Music, and a quartet of excellent soloists in strong, spirited, and above all, noble accounts of No. 9 “O praise the Lord with one consent,” No. 11 “Let God arise,” and No. 7 “My song shall be alway.” The Cambridge Choir turns in superlative accounts of the work’s many choruses, from the unfettered delight of “Ye boundless realms of joy” to the awestruck wonder of “Praised be the Lord!” The Academy orchestra performs brilliantly alone, as in the ebullient Sonata at the start of “My song shall be alway,” and with sensitivity in its accompanimental role. The soloists are excellent: mellifluous tenor James Gilchrist in “Like as the smoke vanisheth,” soulful alto Iestyn Davies in “Praise him, all ye that in his house,” powerful bass Neal Davies in “That God is great,” and clarion soprano Emma Kirkby in “God’s tender mercy” and particularly, “Let the righteous be glad.” Recorded in richly detailed and evocative digital sound, this disc should appeal to anyone who enjoys Baroque choral music.