Coronation

The Gabrieli Consort and Players return to the programme that put them on the musical map when it was originally recorded and released in 1990: A Venetian Coronation 1595 is a musical re-creation evoking the grand pageantry of the Coronation Mass for Venetian Doge Marino Grimani. His love of ceremony and state festivals fuelled an extraordinary musical bounty during his reign and formed the background to the musical riches of the period, especially to the works of Giovanni Gabrieli. With cornetts, sackbuts and an all-male consort, Paul McCreesh fully exploits the dazzling polyphony of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli’s music and captivates the audience in a theatrical and ceremonious performance.

The four Coronation Anthems, written for the coronation of King George II in 1727, were Handel’s first commission as a naturalised British citizen. Handel always matched his music to the occasion and the building for which it was written, and no occasion could be grander than a coronation. The music of these ceremonial anthems is quite straightforward, the real joy of these pieces stemming from the development of layer upon layer of texture through which Handel shows off his musical pyrotechnics. Zadok the Priest is in particular practically unbeaten in dramatic impact with its initial intensity building towards the ecstasy of the climactic choral entry.

Handel's Coronation Anthems were written in 1727 for George II and Queen Caroline, and have been performed at every British coronation since that occasion. Zadok the Priest will be familiar from its use in the film The Madness of King George. Handel's arpeggiated suspensions in the strings build excitement from the outset, but the entrance of the choir and full orchestra is shattering beyond expectations. Zadok's brevity and forthright text-setting make it as instantly accessible as anything found in Handel's great oratorios. Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened is less overwhelming and even pensive in its middle section. The King Shall Rejoice returns to the celebratory mood of Zadok, though with less force and drama. My Heart Is Inditing is the gentlest setting of the four, and Handel's writing in the middle sections is almost pastoral.

Handel's Coronation Anthems were written in 1727 for George II and Queen Caroline, and have been performed at every British coronation since that occasion. Zadok the Priest will be familiar from its use in the film The Madness of King George. Handel's arpeggiated suspensions in the strings build excitement from the outset, but the entrance of the choir and full orchestra is shattering beyond expectations.