As Master of the King's Music from the mid-1750s, William
Boyce wrote more than fifty odes to celebrate royal birthdays
and the new year, but there are a few earlier ones. This one,
dating from 1739, when he was still in his twenties, seems to
be the earliest of all. It is a long piece, to elegant but
undistinguished verse by John Lockman, but it is agreeable and
appealing music, some of it illustrative, some richly sensuous,
and with some expansive choruses very much in the Handelian
oratorio manner. Boyce revised the score for a Dublin performance
in 1740, and it is upon this version that Graham Lea-Cox has
based the recording.
Recorded in the Old Market, Hove
Playing time : 67'55" DDD
Reviews
"Graham Lea-Cox directs with spirit and sympathy, and with
a keen feeling for the right tempos. He draws some splendidly
confident and energetic singing from the boys and men of
New College Choir. This is a very attractive piece and the
performance gives a good deal of pleasure."
The Gramophone
"This disc is an ear-opener...The performance is fully worthy
of this fine music - the excellent singers and players are on
top form - and the sound has a crystalline clarity...one of
the grandest recordings heard this year."
Saturday Telegraph, April 2000
"New College choir is on cracking form, as is the Hanover
Band....the perfect gift for anyone..."
Classic CD
