Handel: Coronation Anthems

Gramophone Awards 2009 - Best Baroque Vocal

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen add a brand new recording of Handel’s Coronation Anthems to their stunning catalogue of Handel discs.

In one of his last undertakings before his death in 1727, King George I signed an ‘Act for the naturalising of George Frideric Handel’ amongst others. One of Handel’s first tasks as a naturalised British Citizen was to write the music for the Coronation of the new monarch - King George II which was to take place later that year. Rarely did a composer of the day have such an audience for his new works and Handel’s four Anthems were written to match the pomp and grandeur of the occasion and, of course, the venue – Westminster Abbey. The Coronation Anthems have delighted audiences ever since and appear in all their glory on this recording interspersed with a selection of Handel favourites including Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Handel’s Organ Concerto in F Major Op. 4 No. 4 and two extracts from Messiah.