Beale: Come let us join the roundelay

Perfectly poised for all the Royal sentiments in the air for the forthcoming Royal Wedding, Music All Powerful - Music to entertain Queen Victoria provides a delightful flashback of the British Royal Family and is the first release on CD of a delightful Argo LP. It offers solo songs, unaccompanied and accompanied choral songs and a handful of instrumental numbers such as would have been performed for and during Queen Victoria’s reign. The Purcell Consort of Voices under Grayston Burgess are joined by a group of instrumental soloists, including the superb violinist Iona Brown, with pianist Jennifer Partridge both accompanying and playing a Mendelssohn Song without Words and a Chaminade piece. For bringing back songs from obscurity alone this is a worthy CD. But it also recalls obscure composers like Pinsuti, Klosé, Beale, Galkin, Walmisley and Callcott and an obscure instrument - the ophicleide (the instrument Mendelssohn wanted for Bottom’s braying in the Midsummer Night’s Dream overture). The performances are idiomatic and charming, the programming a joy. Geoffrey Coleby provides the amusing notes: ‘…when they could burst the shackles of their dreadful academic training, the Victorians could show a touching great-heartedness which is their most endearing feature’. All song texts are included.

A timely release of a recording of songs and instrumental pieces composed during the reign of one of England’s most beloved monarchs.