The basic idea of this compilation is beautifully simple. It
is a collection of works, most of them fairly short, each associated with
one of the three Elizabeths who dominate English regal history: Elizabeth
I, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and the present Queen. The works have
been carefully chosen, even down to the order in which they appear, making
a programme which is pleasing to listen to from beginning to end. The
performances are naturally drawn from the Naxos catalogue: there is not
a dud amongst them and many of them are exceptionally fine. I can certainly
imagine listeners being persuaded to buy the disc from which this or that
work is taken, and Naxos cannily helps out here by provided the catalogue
numbers of all the original discs.
The unity of the theme is helped by the presence of
Eric Coates’ suite The Three Elizabeths, each one of the three
movements depicting one of the three queens, and Naxos just happened
to have an excellent recorded version in its vaults played by the Royal
Artillery Band. This is first class light music, most tuneful and enjoyable,
even if less well-known than the Dam Busters March which also
appears in this collection. Both works are stirringly played. The final
piece in the selection dedicated to Elizabeth I is taken from Vaughan
Williams’ music for the film The England of Elizabeth, and though
it is not the finest Vaughan Williams it is characteristic of him both
in its sound and in its use of melodies from the period. It may seem
obvious to say that the rest of the first disc is taken from the repertoire
of Elizabethan composers, but it does at least help to place the lesser
known names such as Farrant and Robinson. The performances of this music,
an equal mixture of vocal and instrumental pieces, are uniformly excellent,
which says a lot for the quality of the early music specialists to be
found nowadays on the Naxos label. I particularly enjoyed Wilbye’s famous
madrigal as sung by the Oxford Camerata and Jeremy Summerly.
Many of the works on these two discs have been chosen
because they are representative of the period rather than because they
carry any direct association with one or other of the Elizabeths, and
the Queen Mother’s music, in particular, brings with it a vivid evocation
of the times. All the same, Farnon’s Derby Day – great fun –
as well as the Spitfire Prelude and Fugue and the Dam Busters
March would have been irresistible choices I think. Again, the performances
are excellent, and the Walton, in particular, is an absolute winner.
Walton features twice in the selection celebrating
the present Queen, and indeed the Coronation Te Deum was composed
for the coronation in 1953. This superb performance is taken from the
recent Walton disc in Naxos’ distinguished series with St. John’s Choir
and Christopher Robinson. Then there is Parry’s famous anthem and a
couple of jolly light music items before the selection ends with another
obvious choice, Orb and Sceptre, exceptionally well played and
conducted once again.
With the Golden Jubilee and the sad death of the Queen
Mother still very much in the mind this is of course a highly topical
issue which cannot fail to give pleasure to those who enjoy this kind
of compilation. I suppose there will be listeners who prefer Walton
to Wilbye, and not everyone who enjoys an Elizabethan lute song will
warm to English twentieth century light music, but that kind of discovery
seems to me the attraction of this kind of thing. The booklet is very
well documented with an informative and entertaining essay by Keith
Anderson. A minor error and one omission in the credits have been corrected
above.
William Hedley
NAXOS 8.557032/3 [74.44]
[45.58]
