Hyperion: The Coronation of King George II — Handel Coronation Anthems, Robert King (2 CD)

Brand new! Factory packaged! As pictured! Buy with confidence!

Product Details:

• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Hyperion
• Composers: George Frideric Handel, plus Purcell, Blow, Tallis, Gibbons, Farmer, Child
• Performers: The King's Consort, Choir of The King's Consort, Robert King (conductor)
• Catalog Number: CDA67286
• UPC: 0034571172866
• Release Year: 2001
• Genre: Classical
• Style: Baroque, sacred choral, ceremonial music

Product Features

• Format: CD
• Discs: 2
• Total duration: 100:47
• Recording: DDD
• Booklet: notes in English, French and German
• Made in France
• Award: Gramophone Editor's Choice
• Condition: Factory Sealed (New)

Overview

This is not a recital of coronation music — it's a reconstruction of the event itself. Robert King and his forces rebuild the entire 1727 coronation of George II in Westminster Abbey, sequenced as it actually unfolded: trumpet fanfares, drum processions, schoolboys shouting "Vivat Rex!", pealing bells and, at the great moments, the music.

And what music. Handel composed four Coronation Anthems for the occasion, including "Zadok the Priest" — written for the anointing and sung at every British coronation since. Around them sit the older ceremonial repertoire the service drew on: Purcell's "I was glad," and works by Blow, Tallis, Gibbons, Farmer and Child, the accumulated sound of English royal ritual.

The effect is theatrical in the best sense. The critics agreed: the Sunday Times praised the vivid recording and the sheer impressiveness of it all, the Guardian called it atmospheric, and Fanfare wrote that listening was less like hearing a recording than being there. Two well-filled discs, superbly performed and engineered. For lovers of Handel, of English choral music, or of history brought to sounding life, this is a landmark release.

Interesting Facts

• The album reconstructs the actual order of service of George II's coronation at Westminster Abbey on 11 October 1727.
• Handel's "Zadok the Priest," one of the four anthems written for this coronation, has been performed at every British coronation since 1727.
• The reconstruction includes not just music but fanfares, drum processions, cries of "Vivat Rex!" and pealing bells, recreating the ceremony's full soundscape.
• Beyond Handel, the program draws on ceremonial works by Purcell, Blow, Tallis, Gibbons, Farmer and Child, reflecting the layered tradition of English coronation music.
• The recording was named a Gramophone Editor's Choice and drew acclaim from the Sunday Times, the Guardian, Classic FM Magazine and Fanfare.
• The King's Consort and its choir, directed by Robert King, are among Britain's leading period-instrument ensembles.

Publishers

Released 2001 by Hyperion Records Limited, London, England. Made in France. Booklet notes in English, French and German.

Have this set? A short review helps other Handel and early-music collectors.