G. F. HANDEL

 

Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, Dixit Dominus HWV232

 

Hélène Guilmette - soprano

Andreas Scholl - countertenor

Malcolm E. Bennet - tenor

Andreas Wolf - bass

 

Vocalconsort Berlin, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / Marcus Creed

 

Composed to celebrate the birthday of Queen Anne of England, this Ode was subtitled 'Ode for the Peace' in reference to the Treaty of Utrecht which the monarch was about to sign, marking the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. Six years earlier, the 22-year-old composer exploited in his sacred music what he had just learnt from Italian opera: the result was the powerful, intensely passionate Dixit Dominus.

 

Andreas Scholl has consistently collected the top international awards for his many solo and ensemble recordings.

 

Harmonia Mundi HMC902041