"In the summer of 1743, at the village of Dettingen, George II managed a victory over French forces in the War of the Austrian Succession. Even though the battle did not lead to a peace treaty (indeed, the war straggled on for five more years and not always to England’s advantage), because the king had personally led the troops, the victory suggested a celebration. As the principal composing subject of his Britannic majesty, Handel grasped the opportunity and produced a large-scale Te Deum and an anthem for the expected grand occasion. That its first performance turned out to be anything but grand was not Handel’s fault. As befitted a quasi-military celebration, Handel added three trumpets and drums to the usual strings, continuo, oboes, and bassoon; the clamor in the tiny Chapel Royal of St. James Palace, its first venue, must have been horrendous. Stephen Layton has made a new edition of the piece and has recorded it with forces like unto that first performance, in a space of similar size. Well, it is a grand piece, in some ways better than the better-known Utrecht Te Deum (1713), and this performance is exuberant. A real pleasure is that, amid all the rattle, the choir articulates the text cleanly and clearly, giving the lie to those who think English cannot be understood when sung. Among many good tunes, I particularly liked a ravishing ATB setting of “Thou sittest at the right hand of God.” The principal solos go to the bass, and Neal Davies sings them forthrightly. The incidental alto solos are well done by Christopher Lowrey (though he sounds as if he has been recorded somewhere else), and Robin Firth gets a brief tenor solo. The Academy of Ancient Music is well practiced in this period’s music and accompanies as to the manner born."

FANFARE: Alan Swanson