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The Monarch's Music
£14.99
In stock
Catalogue Number
CRD3545
King Charles III’s coronation on 6th May 2023 showcased the link between music and monarchy. Th is album sets this historic moment fi rmly within the rich tapestry of music and monarchs past. Recorded amidst the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, the programme transports us to points when the link between the British monarchy and music has been formalised – from coronations to royal weddings to more subtle stories of royal intervention – all the while celebrating the musical output of composers who have flourished with royal endorsement. We are meanwhile reminded that the British monarchy has played an important role as patron to the arts, including music.
This album sits perfectly in the CRD catalogue and is an important release for listeners worldwide. It follows King Charles III’s coronation which highlighted yet again the role of music for both contemplation and celebration. Meanwhile, on a personal note, I Was Glad happens to have been the most-loved anthem of CRD’s founding director, Graham Pauncefort, and formed a critical part of our initiation into that cherished British tradition of choral singing so superbly represented here. With a 50 year history of triumphing British music and musicians behind us, we are indeed ‘glad’ to be sharing this life-enhancing collaboration between Th e Band of the Household Cavalry and the Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, masterfully guided by Major Paul Collis-Smith and James Vivian.
Emma Pauncefort & Tom Pauncefort, CRD
Manufacturer: Wyastone Estate Limited, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR
Email: sales@wyastone.co.uk
Reviews:
"The first weekend of June 2022 saw a major celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The preparations for that event were therefore well in hand when this album was being recorded at Windsor, and it seems safe to assume that it was originally conceived to tie in with those celebrations. Queen Elizabeth’s death may have removed some of the album’s raison d’être, but in an eloquent booklet essay CRD directors Emma Pauncefort and Tom Pauncefort skilfully place the recording in the context of the end of one era and the beginning of another. Roughly half of the programme is purely instrumental and played by the Band of The Household Cavalry under its Director, Major Paul Collis-Smith. The Chapel Choir sings the choral works, three of which are conducted by Director of Music, James Vivian. Assistant Director of Music, organist Luke Bond, also has quite a lot of work to do. With such a line-up, you would expect the musical values to be high, and so they are…
Vaughan Williams’s grand setting of the hymn ‘All people that on earth do dwell’ provides the perfect opportunity for the entire ensemble to make a thoroughly splendid noise… It was unexpected to find a Britten choral work in this programme that I didn’t already know. A Hymn of St Columba, to a Latin text and organ-accompanied, features a haunting refrain evoking ‘the most righteous King of Kings’. This short and relatively undemanding work is beautifully sung, as is Adrian Batten’s O Sing Joyfully, a short unaccompanied piece that fully lives up to its title." William Hedley, MusicWeb International