Rule Britannia

Daniel / Clarke, Jeremiah / Leveridge, Richard Purcell (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), John Stanley (Composer), John Eccles (Composer), Jeremiah Clarke (Composer), Henry Purcell (Composer), William Corbett (Composer), Thomas Arne (Composer), Edward Elgar (Composer), Arthur Sullivan (Composer), Gustav Holst (Composer), Ralph Vaughan Williams (Composer), William Boughton (Conductor), Alexander Faris (Conductor), Stephen Darlington (Conductor), English String Orchestra (Orchestra), Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra of London (Orchestra), Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), English Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: English String Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Philharmonia Orchestra, English Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: William Boughton, Alexander Faris, Stephen Darlington
• Composer: Daniel / Clarke, Jeremiah / Leveridge, Richard Purcell, George Frederick Handel, John Stanley, John Eccles, Jeremiah Clarke, et al.
• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Nimbus Records
• ASIN: B00004W3JI
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,657 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Te Deum
  • #46 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Odes
  • #87 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > Vocal & Song > General AAS

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. The Island Princess: Tpt Aire/Sym Of Flatt Trumpits

2. 'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: I. Ov

3. 'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: II. Gigue (Allegro)

4. 'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: III. Aire (Menuetto)

5. 'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: IV. March I (Bouree) - March II

6. The Choice Of Hercules: I. Ov (Largo-Allegro)

7. The Choice Of Hercules: II. March

8. Europe Revells In Ye Peace: Sym

9. 'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): I. Prld: The Duke Of Gloster's March; Minuet & Sybelle...

10. 'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): II. Ser & Ecossaise

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.1 in D, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton

2. Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.2 in a, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton

3. Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.3 in c, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton

4. Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.4 in G, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton

5. Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.5 in C, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton

6. The Pirates Of Penzance: Ov - SCO/Alexander Faris

7. HMS Pinafore - Ov - SCO/Alexander Faris

8. Ste: The Planets, Op.32: Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity - Philharmonia Orch/William Boughton

9. Te Deum - Christ Church Cathedral Chor, Oxford/Stephen Darlington

10. Vars On An Original Theme, Enigma, Op.36: IX. Nimrod - English SO/William Boughton

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great British collection, October 5, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Rule Britannia (Audio CD)

This CD features several particular composers who have written pieces of music that are quintessentially British: Jeremiah Clarke, George Frideric Handel, John Stanley, John Eccles, Henry Purcell, William Corbett, Edward Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst and Thomas Arne. The pieces here are triumphant, celebrating that particular period of Empire when the British ruled vastly such that the sun never set upon it - one of the key elements of such triumphant music-making, particularly for the time, was the use of brass and trumpet. Some of the later composers included here draw on inspirations from these earlier times.

One of the featured performers on this collection is John Wallace, who was principal trumpet of the Philharmonia Orchestra since the 1970s; he founded the brass ensemble, the Wallace Collection, ten years later in 1986. In 2002, he became principal of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Wallace Collection gave their last performance shortly thereafter. However, the Wallace Collection lives on in performances on CD such as this one, performed with William Boughton and the English String Orchestra. Other tracks are performed by Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Faris and the English String Orchestra conducted by Stephen Darlington.

Pieces here are very familiar to anyone with an interested in British national composition -- pieces such as the Water Music by Handel are very famous, as are Holst's 'Planets' and Sullivan's (of Gilbert & Sullivan) 'Pinafore'; other pieces, such as Clarke's 'Trumpet Voluntary', are similarly famous even if their composers did not achieve the 'brand recognition' that Handel did. All of the composers here came from the period spanning the late 1600s to the late 1700s, when music was as often written for music halls and public performances as it was for royal events and commissions.

The performances here are uniformly upbeat and well played, with little by way of blemish save the occasional drop and surge in levels (as often becomes the case when recording music with sharp brass elements).

One can envision theatres full of people waving Union Jacks while this plays, and many of the pieces have a quality about them that speaks directly to the time and place of Britain.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like Baroque music, buy it; it is excellent, June 28, 2005

By 

Micheline Montreuil "Micheline Montreuil" (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rule Britannia (Audio CD)

If you like Baroque music, buy this 2 CD's BOX SET; it is excellent. Clarke, Handel, Purcell, Corbet and so on are very well played. The orchestration is very good, the quality of recording is excellent. Remember that Baroque music uses mainly a single trumpet, few other brass instruments, some woodwinds and very few drums. It is very easy, elegant and pleasant to listen. When I got married in 2003, I have chosen only Baroque music for the ceremony and the banquet because Baroque music is so lovely, so delicate and so sweet. Even if you have never heard or you think that you have never heard Baroque music, buy this CD; I tell you, you will not regret your choice because it is really an excellent CD. You have my words.