HANDEL: Dettingen Te Deum; Coronation Anthem, “Zadok the Priest”; Organ Concerto No. 14 – Neal Davies, bass/ Richard Marlow, organ/ Trinity College Choir, Cambridge/ Academy of Ancient Music/ Stephen Layton, conductor – Hyperion

Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum is a work that came about almost as an accident; George II had led an army to victory against the French at the Battle of Dettingen (an early battle in the War of Austrian Succession) in 1743, and a thanksgiving prayer was ordered to be said in all the churches on July 17 of that year. Handel, thinking to take advantage of the situation and get a jump on the competition, created this vast and rather noisy piece fit for a regal ceremony at St. Paul’s. The trouble is that Britain was not officially at war with France, and Dettingen was ultimately just a minor skirmish whose military triumphs were hardly on the scale to organize a vast public demonstration of gratitude and thanks. George also delayed his return to England after spending the summer in Germany, and when he finally came home it was to enjoy Handel’s new composition at the Banqueting House Chapel in Whitehall. Queen Caroline’s death further halted proceedings on the work, and ultimately it received its first performance at the Chapel Royal on November 27—five months after the wispy “victory” at Dettingen.

The space at the chapel was miniscule compared to the intended facility of St. Paul’s, and Handel’s forces must have brought the house down. Full of military flashes with trumpets and timpani, the allusions to war cannot be escaped, and it must have made quite an impact in that small space, especially as it was given in the context of a service. Though some at the time suggested it was Handel’s greatest work, it hardly appears that way to us today, being more a spectacle piece that nonetheless contains flashes of typical Handelian brilliance. There are not too many recordings out there right now – the best, Simon Preston on Archiv, now confined to boxed prison with a host of other readings weighing in at around $40. This one is very good, punchy and full of colorful militarism, and the choral work by Layton almost needs no qualifications.

I am not as happy about the rest of the disc. The organ concerto seems to suffer from a lack of continuity in phrasing and line, with the organ strangely quiet, sounding too small. Though these were undoubtedly performed on lighter instruments, they are still designated as concertos, and should act the part. This concerto is one of the most noted, finding its way even into the seminal Op. 6 concertos as No. 11, and also used in Alexander’s Feast and other anthems. One concerto divorced from the others seems strangely disconcerting; I would not be surprised if this gets dropped from any future recycling of the Te Deum. Likewise the Coronation Anthem, one of the most thrilling of the bunch, Zadok the Priest. Hyperion already has one of the finest on record in its catalog, that of Robert King and forces. This one has a bit more impact when the chorus enters, but King’s version is smoother and not as choppy. I don’t dislike it—the thrills are still there—but there are better out there. Sound is basically very good with the exception of the quiet organ. If you get this it will be because of the Te Deum.

— Steven Ritter