An English Coronation, 1902-1953
Edward VII, George V, George VI, Elizabeth II
Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2019, Editor's Choice
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Presto Editor's Choice, May 2019
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Diapason d’Or, September 2019, Nouveauté
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2019
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2019
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Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2019, Nominated - Vocal
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International Classical Music Awards, 2019, Nominee - Choral
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Gramophone Magazine, December 2019, Critics' Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2020, Finalist - Choral
Some may find the extensive spoken liturgy excessive but such is Simon Russell Beale’s compelling delivery that the sheer beauty of the words offers a musical diversion of a different kind....
An English Coronation, 1902-1953
Edward VII, George V, George VI, Elizabeth II
Gabrieli, Paul McCreesh
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Gramophone Magazine, June 2019, Editor's Choice
-
Presto Editor's Choice, May 2019
-
Diapason d’Or, September 2019, Nouveauté
-
Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2019
-
Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2019
-
Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2019, Nominated - Vocal
-
International Classical Music Awards, 2019, Nominee - Choral
-
Gramophone Magazine, December 2019, Critics' Choice
-
Gramophone Awards, 2020, Finalist - Choral
Some may find the extensive spoken liturgy excessive but such is Simon Russell Beale’s compelling delivery that the sheer beauty of the words offers a musical diversion of a different kind....
About
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 provides 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.
Contents and tracklist
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Matthew Martin
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Simon Russell Beale
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Simon Russell Beale
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- Simon Russell Beale
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
- David Clegg
- Gabrieli
- Paul McCreesh
Spotlight on this release
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Paul McCreesh on An English Coronation
1st May 2019
The conductor talks to David about his latest recording with Gabrieli, which weaves music and readings from the coronations of four British monarchs (Edward VII, George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II) into a composite ceremony, recorded in Ely Cathedral.
Awards and reviews
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Gramophone MagazineJune 2019Editor's Choice
-
Presto Editor's ChoiceMay 2019
-
Diapason d’OrSeptember 2019Nouveauté
-
Presto Recordings of the YearFinalist 2019
-
Presto Recordings of the YearWinner 2019
-
Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year2019Nominated - Vocal
-
International Classical Music Awards2019Nominee - Choral
-
Gramophone MagazineDecember 2019Critics' Choice
June 2019
Some may find the extensive spoken liturgy excessive but such is Simon Russell Beale’s compelling delivery that the sheer beauty of the words offers a musical diversion of a different kind. Most impressive, perhaps, is how extremes of unalloyed opulence sit so movingly alongside intimate supplication…One can imagine the virtuosity required by every contributor, at every turn, to make this a reality, let alone a dazzling triumph.
May 2019
This collage of music from four English coronations is a hot contender for one of my Records of the Year; its hair-raising impact is partly down to the vintage glow conjured by the use of authentic woodwind and brass instruments, but the record’s main glory is the full-throated exuberance of the massed choirs including the young voices of Gabrieli ROAR, clearly having the time of their lives. You’ll never hear a more electrifying I was glad on disc.
3rd May 2019
You’ll find 21 trumpets here, variously blasting through fanfares and other regal finery in heart-lifting music by Elgar, Parry, Vaughan Williams, Walton and company, vigorously dispatched by performers who at their peak number almost a thousand. Set down mostly in the atmospheric acoustic of Ely Cathedral, with period instruments involved, this is an astonishing recording.
