Praise among the strings 2017

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This concert presented a programme of music by Handel, Monteverdi, Purcell and Mozart,  accompanied by The Cathedral Strings.  Besides the strings, there are two themes present in this programme: the music of coronations, and settings of the psalms.

Handel composed several anthems that set texts from psalms, including "As pants the hart" (words from Psalm 42), which he set for the first time in 1713, and subsequently revisited four times. Consort performed his setting from 1722, written to be sung at the Chapel Royal. It is an extended anthem in five sections, with passages for soloists including a beautiful and yearning alto duet. The overall mood is one of longing, although the final chorus “Put thy trust in God” is more upbeat and positive.

By way of contrast, we performed two more celebratory anthems by Handel. He famously wrote four anthems for the coronation of George II in 1727, the same year he received official status as a British national. The most famous of these is undoubtedly Zadok the Priest, sung during the anointing of the new monarch, with its jubilant acclamations of “God save the king!”.  "My heart is inditing", the last of the four, was originally performed at the crowning of Queen Caroline, and has perhaps a more refined and gentle mood, particularly in the central movements.

Henry Purcell composed two new anthems for the coronation of James II in 1685, one of which we performed here: " I was glad when they said unto me" (words from Psalm 122), sung at the entrance of the king and queen. This is a small-scale but lively anthem, with lots of joyful dotted rhythms, and a contrasting subdued middle section for the words “O pray for the peace of Jerusalem”.

Monteverdi’s anthem "Beatus vir" is one of his more widely known choral pieces, taken from his collection Selva morale e spirituale (1640), with words from Psalm 112. The florid choral parts dance along over a walking bass, punctuated at intervals by a charming violin duet. Also well-known in the choral canon is Mozart’s Krönungsmesse or “Coronation Mass”, completed shortly after Mozart began working as court composer of Salzburg Cathedral in 1779. these two familiar choral gems are performed here with something closer to their original accompaniment forces.
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