Chandos Anthems The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen & Robert Rawson

• Johann Christoph Pepusch (1667 - 1752): Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas):
• 1 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): I. [Sinfonia] 02:32
• 2 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): II. Chorus: Rejoyce in the Lord o ye righteous 02:45
• 3 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): III. Duet: Praise the Lord with harp 03:05
• 4 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): IV. Chorus: Sing unto the Lord a new Song 03:17
• 5 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): V. Duet: For faithfull is the word of God 03:02
• 6 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): VI. Recitative: By the word of the Lord were the Heavens made 00:28
• 7 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): VII. Chorus: The swelling floods together roll'd 01:46
• 8 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): VIII. Duet: Thy Royall seat O Lord for Ever shall remain 02:32
• 9 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): IX. Chorus: Let Earth and all that well therein before him trembling stand 01:19
• 10 Pepusch: Rejoyce in the Lord (Christmas): X. Chorus: O Praise the Lord and be joyfull 01:57
• Magnificat:
• 11 Pepusch: Magnificat: XI. [Sinfonia] 02:30
• 12 Pepusch: Magnificat: XII. Chorus: My soul doth magnifie the Lord 02:27
• 13 Pepusch: Magnificat: XIII. Aria: For he hath regarded the lowliness of his hand Maiden 02:40
• 14 Pepusch: Magnificat: XIV. Chorus: For behold from henceforth 03:02
• 15 Pepusch: Magnificat: XV. Aria: For he that is mighty hath magnified me 02:51
• 16 Pepusch: Magnificat: XVI. Chorus: He hath shewed strength with his arm 03:57
• 17 Pepusch: Magnificat: XVII. Duet: He hath put down the mighty from their seat 02:43
• 18 Pepusch: Magnificat: XVIII. Chorus: He hath filled the hungry with good things 01:33
• 19 Pepusch: Magnificat: XIX. Duet: He remembering his mercy has holpen his servant Israel 02:30
• 20 Pepusch: Magnificat: XX. Chorus: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy ghost 03:48
• XXI. Concerto per il Oboe Solo in B fLA major:
• 21 Pepusch: XXI. Concerto per il Oboe Solo in B fLA major 03:31
• O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord:
• 22 Pepusch: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord: XXII. Chorus: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord 01:22
• 23 Pepusch: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord: XXIII. Recit: Ye that stand in the house of the Lord 00:22
• 24 Pepusch: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord: XXIV. Trio: O Praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious 02:19
• 25 Pepusch: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord: XXV. Accomp. Recitative: For I know that the Lord is great 00:41
• 26 Pepusch: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord: XXVI. Aria: Thy name o Lord endureth forever 02:23
• 27 Pepusch: O Praise the Lord, laud ye the name of the Lord: XXVII. Chorus: Praise the Lord ye house of Israel 02:12
• Total Runtime 01:03:34

Info for Chandos Anthems

"Chandos Anthems" is usually associated with Handel's name - a collection of cantatas that Handel wrote as "house composer" for James Brydges, later Duke of Chandos and the richest man in England.

From 1719 - Handel was concentrating on opera again - Johann Christoph Pepusch took over this task. The Duke was a great lover of the baroque riches of Italy and was able at his private chapel to circumvent the strict purist guidelines of the Anglican Church for church music, where no instruments were allowed in church music apart from the organ, and certainly no women.

Pepusch, too, was a great friend of Venetian splendour; he came from Berlin and quickly made a career for himself in London from 1704 onwards; his "Beggar's Opera" achieved great fame. While the possibilities Handel had with the Duke of Chandos were still limited, Pepusch was able to draw from the full range. The ensemble grew beyond the chamber music group and a handful of singers to a small orchestra with multiple strings, organ/harpsichord, trumpet, bassoon, oboe and recorders. In addition, there was a choir of at least seven adult singers plus a number of trebles, which Pepusch knew how to use to good effect.

Robert Rawson, a pronounced specialist in Pepusch's music, presents three large and colourful Pepusch anthems in a first recording with his Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen. The seven solo singers are beautifully supported by the Girl Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral.”

Ciara Hendrick, soprano
Alex Potter, countertenor
Hugh Cutting, countertenor
Nicholas Mulroy, tenor
Nicholas Todd, tenor
Vitali Rozynko, bass
Edward Grint, bass
The Girl Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral
David Newsholme, director
The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen
Robert Rawson, artistic director

The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen
Taking its name from the description by the poet Ned Ward of the musicians who played at one of the world’s first series of public concerts, in London, The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen was founded in 2006 to explore the neglected repertoire of public concert life in England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Described on BBC Radio 3 as ‘purveyors of exhilarating and uplifting music’, the ensemble also maintains a broader interest in early eighteenth-century music for public concerts from across Europe. Its first CD, Concertos and Overtures for London, devoted to works by Johann Christoph Pepusch, won accolades around the world and became a bestseller in Germany, reaching No. 1 in the German classical charts in 2012. Its follow-up CD, of Pepusch’s 1715 masque Venus and Adonis, also received critical acclaim around the globe and was nominated in the ‘Opera 1’ category for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik in 2016. The group continues to perform in concerts and festivals across Europe.

Booklet for Chandos Anthems