Handel's Utrecht Te Deum HWV 278 was already enthusiastically received at its first performance in 1713 in St. Paul's in London. To celebrate peace after twelve years of The Spanish War of Succession, Handel composed a captivating Te Deum and Jubilate. A British national composer was born! The Gaechinger Cantorey, conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann, performed the Te Deum at the brilliant closing concert of the Musikfest Stuttgart 2019. Christina Landshamer, Reginald Mobley, Benedikt Kristjánsson and Andreas Wolf delighted the audience as soloists. The recording begins with an orchestral suite from Handel's opera Il pastor fido, which premiered in November 1712. The Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne from February 1713, also known as "Ode of peace", points to the impending peace of Utrecht with the demand "United nations shall combine" in its final chorus.
