Henry VIII: Grene growith the holy (Green groweth the Holly)

Andrew Lawrence-King’s virtuoso harp joins the voices of Anonymous 4 in a wealth of Yuletide music, favourite and rare, from the British Isles.

Juxtaposing pagan and Christian traditions, the programme interweaves English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ballads and carols with well-loved pieces by John Tavener (The Lamb), Benjamin Britten, and a newly commissioned work by Peter Maxwell Davies. Andrew Lawrence-King adds special colour playing a variety of instruments: psaltery, Baroque harp, and a remarkable Irish “Queen Mary” harp which sounds as if it contains its own peal of heavenly bells.

“Harry our King”, the new CD of the well-known German ensemble Capella de la Torre, is a fairytale-like interpretation of music from the court of King Henry VIII Tudor of England.

King Henry was a well-educated and creative art lover, who played and composed music himself and gathered at his court artists and scholars from all over Europe. On this vibrant new recording songs and dances of Henry VIII and his contemporaries are made into a musical caleidoscope of courtial life with all its aspects of love, leisure and religiousness. Famous tenor Charles Daniels with his unique Old English pronounciation makes this music very much alive!