But on this disc of ‘Great Handel Choruses’ the limelight belongs to the choir, and a great choir it is! With its more than 200 active members, The Bach Choir is an institution in the golden British oratorio tradition, its musical directors including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir David Willcocks, and now David Hill, who conducts it on this recording. Counter-tenor Robin Blaze also make a guest appearance, singing the alto solo in The mighty pow’r from Athalia. The latter work is represented by Or let the merry bells, in which the lively soprano solo (sung by Carolyn Sampson), accompanied by a sparkling carillon, is lulled to sleep by the choir. Spanning in time from Zadok the Priest, one of the four Coronation Anthems of 1727, to the aforementioned ‘He saw …’ composed in 1750, this programme consists largely of great moments from Handel’s oratorios, but also from odes such as Alexander’s Feast and L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato. That particular piece is of course included on the present disc – as is He saw the lovely youth from Theodora, which Handel himself is reported to have preferred to Hallelujah, and indeed to all of his other choruses. She is a founder member of the Voices of London Festival, and is also a published and prize-winning composer.Despite the fact that he wrote a large number of operas and instrumental works, Handel is often perceived as a choral composer – or, more specifically, as the composer of the Hallelujah chorus. In addition to her regular conducting work, Hilary also acts as an adjudicator, choral workshop leader and guest conductor. She also runs an annual project with Master of the Queen’s Music, Judith Weir, at the Royal Academy of Music, in conjunction with Blossom Street and the RAM composition department, and is conductor of P&O Ferries Choir, the group which won the BBC2 series The Choir, and whom she met whilst filming for the series. 2 at Royal Festival Hall conducted by Semyon Bychkov. Her guest work includes ensembles such as the BBC Symphony Chorus, Trinity Laban Chamber Choir, BBC Radio 4’s Daily Service Singers, the University of Greenwich Choir and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Chorus, whom she recently prepared for a performance of Mahler Symphony No. Hilary Campbell is a freelance choral specialist, and is founder and Musical Director of professional chamber choir Blossom Street, and Musical Director of Bristol Choral Society, Chiswick Choir and the Music Makers of London.
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