Georg Friedrich Händel: Chandos Anthems Nr.7,9,11a auf CD

Große Effekte mit geringen Mitteln
Stephen Layton, die Academy of Ancient Music, der Chor des Trinity College, Cambridge und eine illustre Schar an Händel-Spezialisten – kurz: das Beste, was England an Händel-Gesang zu bieten hat – präsentieren auf der vorliegenden Aufnahme drei seiner insgesamt elf Chandos Anthems. Während die Soli durch ihre Ausdruckspalette beeindrucken, nimmt Händel in den vierstimmigen Chorsätzen jede Gelegenheit wahr, mit geringen Mitteln große Effekte zu erzielen.

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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.

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'Very good performances… Emma Kirby sings with beauty and authority… much to enjoy here' (Fanfare, USA)

'Der Choir of Trinity College überzeugt mit klarem Stimmfokus, hoher Koloratursicherheit und exzellenter Aussprache .. Nuancen bringen die vier Solisten nahezu optimal zur Geltung' (Fono Forum, Germany)

'There is vintage Handel to be gleaned here … Layton offers luxury casting, Iestyn Davies and Neal Davies on particularly commanding form … The only thing missing on this disc are the words 'Vol. 1'. Such 'Handel with care' deserves nothing less' (BBC Music Magazine)

'Stephen Layton is on a roll … His inspirational direction and choice of top soloists makes this a welcome addition to earlier recordings. The choir sings with their usual purity of tone and clear diction whle the Academy of Ancient Music plays with convincing vigour in the sprightly double-dotted passages' (The Observer)

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