The Quiet Woman (1951) John Gilling, Derek Bond, Jane Hylton, Dora Bryan

The Royal Danish Orchestra’s performing history stretches back to 1448, making it the oldest orchestra in the world, with Carl Nielsen counted amongst its distinguished former members. His 16 years of experience as one of the orchestra’s second violinists helped shape him as a composer, and it was this ensemble that introduced his symphonies to the world. From the ‘imminent storm of genius’ of the First Symphony to the disarming outlandishness of the Sixth, Nielsen’s symphonies are recognised as among the greatest in their genre, heard here in recordings made with a league of conductors whose bond with Denmark and Nielsen’s music is second to none.

The second release in our Magnificat series features nine settings of the Evening Canticles, sung daily at Evensong. The recording features Howells Collegium Regale and Julian Anderson's St John's Service, as well as settings by Berkeley, Jackson, Pärt, Sumsion, Swayne, Walton & Watson.

Composed in 1718, Handel's Acis & Galatea is based on a Greek love story retold in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Acis loves Galatea, a sea nymph, incurring the wrath of a powerful rival, the Cyclops Polyphemus. Polyphemus kills Acis and the young man is turned into a river.What makes this particular performance interesting is the effort to attain the elusive ideal of authenticity.