Hyperion
2006
John Blow Anthems
About This Album
Where did the big, imposing, public quality of Handel's English choral music come from? Listening to the music of John Blow (1649-1708) uncovers part of the answer. Blow, organist at the Chapel Royal and later the impressively titled "Composer of the Chapel Royal," was the preeminent church composer of the English restoration. His anthems, 14 of which are recorded on this two-disc set, set biblical texts in a splendid style that adopted the latest Baroque developments but strove for neither deep expressiveness nor interiority. All the music here has organ continuo accompaniment, and the "symphony anthems" have string parts; the short notes by Peter Holman effectively clarify these unfamiliar genres. Blow's settings are sectional, with full-choir passages alternating with those for soloists, often paired. He emphasizes key text passages effectively, often repeating a single phrase or tossing it back and forth between choir and soloists in a very Handelian manner. This 1995 recording, with its men-and-boys Winchester Cathedral Choir and historically oriented Parley of Instruments ensemble, seems to fall into the "authentic" category, but its vibrato-heavy countertenor, tenor, and bass soloists (who tend to get lost in the sonic spaces of New Hall at Winchester College) create an effect that's unusual in historical recordings. The angelic choir, the rather operatic soloists, and the accompanying instruments form three distinct planes of sound, sharpening the basic contrasts of Blow's music. The results are curiously modernistic in a way, although the boy treble soloists offer fine, clear-as-a-bell examples of English children's singing. There's something a little forbidding about the whole conception, but perhaps that fits the very formal quality of Blow's music. It's possible to imagine performances of these pieces that would be easier to warm up to, but these, especially in the difficult matter of managing child performers, are very well executed. ~ James Manheim, All Music Guide
Track List

Disc 1

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Disc 2

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