In Chains of Gold - now released!
We are excited to announce that the collaboration between Fretwork, the Magdalena Consort and His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts has now been released on the Signum label. Early reviews include Presto Classical referring to the “majestic richness” of the cornetts and sackbuts in Byrd’s 'Look and bow down’, and describing the CD as “a magnificent sequel” to their previous CD, of the Gibbons anthems. On BBC Radio 3’s Record Review it was hailed as “a very, very special recording… very much worth procuring”. We have been sent a selection of preview clips taken during recording and links are below. We hope they whet your appetite.
Bill Hunt writes "the two verse athems by John Bull, form part of our programme. They make a fascinating contrast. The stern and arresting ‘Deliver me, O God’ sets more words by Queen Elizabeth, again on the subject of her bloodthirsty enemies, the Spanish invaders, the defeat of whose Armada she celebrated in the text of that magnificent Byrd anthem mentioned above. The other is ‘Almighty God, which by the leading of a star’, the famous 'Star anthem’, his sublime setting of the collect for Epiphany. In these two you hear the contrasting sonorites of the Tudor organ and the Quire-pitched viols of Fretwork, accompanying the voices of Magdalena consort, in which the Contratenors Hugo and Benedict Hymas and Samuel Boden have prominent roles. You can view Bill's full report here.