Dunedin Consort - Handel: Ode for St Cecilia's Day - All Music

4.5*

Composed two years before his groundbreaking oratorio, Messiah, the Ode for St. Cecilia's Day was George Frederick Handel's 1739 setting of a poem by John Dryden, which celebrated music as central to the creation of the universe. This festive cantata took its inspiration from the celebrations of St. Cecilia Day that were popular in late 17th century London, of which Henry Purcell's Hail! Bright Cecilia was the best-known musical example. Composed for soprano, tenor, choir, and orchestra, the Ode is given a crisp performance by John Butt and the Dunedin Consort, with soprano Carolyn Sampson and tenor Ian Bostridge as vocal soloists and the Polish Radio Choir providing spirited renditions of the choruses. Unlike Messiah, which presents a much wider range of expressions to convey the story of Christ's passion, and includes a considerable number of mournful arias and choruses, major keys dominate in the Ode and the minor mode is used mainly for contrast. Such sunny numbers as the chorus, From Harmony, the tenor's martial aria, The Trumpet's Loud Clangour, and the famous March, with its popular trumpet solo, give a clear indication of the predominantly joyous nature of the Ode. The Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op. 6, No. 4, also composed in 1739, is an elegant filler piece that rounds out the disc, and emulates Handel's inclusion of concertos and other music in the first performance of the Ode. Linn Records provides a robust and rich sound, and the forward placement of the musicians gives them remarkable presence in this 2018 release.