{"product_id":"great-british-anthems","title":"Great British Anthems","description":"Hubert Parry is best known for his coronation anthem \u003ci\u003eI was                     glad, \u003c\/i\u003eand for his hymn tune \u003ci\u003eJerusalem, \u003c\/i\u003ea setting                     of Blake’s magnificent poem. The hymn alludes to the legend                     that Jesus spent time in England during the undocumented years                     between his childhood and the beginnings of his ministry in                     and about his homeland. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    Parry is sadly underrated today, even though he composed a number                     of fine symphonies that are on a level with Elgar and dare I                     say it, even Brahms. He is represented here by \u003ci\u003eBlest Pair                     of Sirens, \u003c\/i\u003eto a text by John Milton, a less often performed,                     but no less glorious work than those aforementioned. Alas, from                     a disc of otherwise quite outstanding performances, this rendition                     is found wanting. The booming acoustic, the thundery organ and                     a general lack of attention to enunciation render the text of                     this marvelous work unintelligible. Add to the fray a wayward                     member of the tenor section whose overzealous brightness of                     tone sticks out like a badly-voiced reed stop, and you get a                     performance that leaves something to be desired. \u003cbr\u003e                      \u003cbr\u003e                    Now that those quibbles are out of the way, we can get on to                     what is one of the finer choral recordings that have crossed                     my desk in some time. Stanford’s rich double choir Magnificat,                     dedicated to the memory of Parry, with whom the composer had                     a longstanding and sadly unresolved parting of the ways, receives                     a splendid performance with all the elements of clarity, intonation,                     balance and tone in place. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    John Stainer is ridiculed today as the apex of Victorian bad                     taste. But in spite of his rather trite and passé style, he                     should be remembered as a fine teacher and scholar, and as an                     organist and choirmaster who helped to revolutionize Anglican                     church music. \u003ci\u003eI saw the Lord\u003c\/i\u003e, is a diehard favorite and                     here receives a clear and unaffected performance by the Vasari                     Singers. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    E.W. Naylor was primarily a composer of operas, and his \u003ci\u003eVox                     Dicentis: Clamavi \u003c\/i\u003eof 1911 reflects his dramatic flair. My                     reaction to this work has always been “\u003ci\u003eoh yeah, I sang that                     piece once.” \u003c\/i\u003eAlthough it is flashy, I have never found it                     to be particularly memorable. The Vasari’s performance is stately                     and without undue affect. \u003cbr\u003e                      \u003cbr\u003e                    Walton’s music is marked by taut rhythms and spicy, jazz-influenced                     chords. \u003ci\u003eThe Twelve, \u003c\/i\u003ewith a text by the oft-acerbic W.H.                     Auden is typical Walton with splendidly biting harmonies and                     jaunty off beat rhythmic gestures. Again, the Vasaris do not                     disappoint with a finely hewn performance that captures all                     of Walton’s seriousness deliciously offset by wit. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    Holst’s glorious \u003ci\u003eNunc Dimittis \u003c\/i\u003elay fallow for many years                     until it was rediscovered in the 1970s and thankfully restored                     to the repertoire. It is distinguished by a splendid cascade                     of vocal entries marked by shimmering harmonies and a most sensitive                     setting of the text. My only beef with this performance is that                     it seemed a bit rushed. There could have been more time for                     the lush chords to settle into place. I also felt that the ending                     was a bit to edgy in its loudness. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    Gerald Finzi lived all too short a life for one so very gifted.                     His epic motet \u003ci\u003eLo, the full final Sacrifice, \u003c\/i\u003eshows him                     in his finest hour. It is a masterpiece, a perfect union of                     music and word and is abundant in simply ravishing sounds. Ravishing                     is as good a word as any to describe this splendid performance                     that achieves near perfection. Mr. Backhouse leads a seamless                     performance of a work that can be maddeningly “sectional” when                     in the wrong hands. This fine rendition is worth the very affordable                     price of the whole disc. \u003cbr\u003e                      \u003cbr\u003e                    To sum it all up, this is a collection of great standards that                     on the whole is left in very able hands. The flaws, although                     distinct, are few enough not to detract from what is generally                     some very fine singing indeed. Organist Jeremy Filsell is up                     to his usual fine standards with sensitive registrations and                     technically flawless playing. \u003cbr\u003e                    \u003cbr\u003e                    -- Kevin Sutton, MusicWeb International","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49705700950296,"sku":"747313250479","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1806759.jpg?v=1777571748","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/great-british-anthems","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}