An English Coronation, 1902-1953: - Paul McCreesh [CD]

The four coronations of the Twentieth Century were enormous and extravagant. Replete with festive pageantry, these ceremonies were joyful celebrations of British music, employing tremendous forces. Choirs from across London and beyond were marshalled to provide a chorus of over 400 voices; a full-size symphony orchestra was squeezed into Westminster Abbey, whilst bands of fanfare trumpeters led the pomp and celebration. In the imposing surroundings of Ely Cathedral, Paul McCreesh and Gabrieli bring the history, ceremony and liturgy of these extraordinary events to life. With his renowned creative flair, McCreesh's painstaking research will provide the springboard for their latest ground-breaking recreation project. The result is a joyful celebration of five centuries of choral music, performed with the same vast forces as were heard at the coronation services. Alongside an orchestra of rare early-Twentieth Century instruments, an extended Gabrieli Consort is amplified by the energetic sound and fresh faces of several hundred young singers from Gabrieli's choral training programme Gabrieli Roar. The music is interspersed by the coronation liturgy, with Simon Russell Beale speaking the part of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Disc 1
1. Coronation March, Op. 65 (Edward Elgar) - Various Performers
2. The King's Herald (Herbert Howells) - Various Performers
3. Rejoice Today With One Accord (Johann Sebastian Bach) - Various Performers
4. O Most Merciful (Charles Wood) - Various Performers
5. Litany (Thomas Tallis) - Various Performers
6. O God, Our Help in Ages Past (William Croft) - Various Performers
7. Chorale Fantasia On 'O God, Our Help' (Hubert Parry) - Various Performers
8. Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Edward Elgar) - Various Performers
9. Entrance Fanfare (Ernest Bullock) - Various Performers
10. I Was Glad (Hubert Parry) - Various Performers
11. The Presentation, Fanfares and Acclamations (Ernest Bullock) - Various Performers
12. The Administration and Signing of the Oath - Various Performers
13. O Hearken Thou (Edward Elgar) - Various Performers
14. The Collect - Various Performers
15. Peter 2:13-17 - Various Performers
16. Hear My Prayer (Henry Purcell) - Various Performers
17. Matthew 22:15 - Various Performers
18. Creed (Ralph Vaughan Williams) - Various Performers
19. Come, Holy Ghost - Various Performers
20. The Prayer Over the Ampulla - Various Performers
21. Zadok the Priest (George Frideric Handel) - Various Performers
22. The Anointing and Blessing - Various Performers
Disc 2
1. Prayers, Acclamations and Crowning Fanfare (Ernest Bullock) - Various Performers
2. Be Strong and Play the Man (Walter Parratt) - Various Performers
3. The King Receives the Holy Bible - Various Performers
4. The Blessing of the King and People - Various Performers
5. The Exhortation - Various Performers
6. Rejoice in the Lord Alway (John Redford) - Various Performers
7. I Will Not Leave You Comfortless (William Byrd) - Various Performers
8. O Clap Your Hands Together (Orlando Gibbons) - Various Performers
9. Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace (Samuel Sebastian Wesley) - Various Performers
10. Homage Fanfare and Acclamations (Ernest Bullock) - Various Performers
11. The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune (Ralph Vaughan Williams) - Various Performers
12. The Offertory Prayer and Prayer for the Church Militant - Various Performers
13. The Exhortation, General Confession and Absolution - Various Performers
14. The Preface - Various Performers
15. Sanctus (Ralph Vaughan Williams) - Various Performers
16. The Prayer of Humble Access and Prayer of Consecration - Various Performers
17. O Taste and See (Ralph Vaughan Williams) - Various Performers
18. The Lord's Prayer (John Merbecke) - Various Performers
19. The Post-communion Prayer - Various Performers
20. Coronation Gloria in B-flat (Charles Villiers Stanford) - Various Performers
21. The Blessing - Various Performers
22. Threefold Amen (Orlando Gibbons) - Various Performers
23. Coronation Te Deum (William Walton) - Various Performers
24. Recessional and National Anthem (David Matthews) - Various Performers
25. Coronation March: Crown Imperial (William Walton) - Various Performers