The Ultrecht Te Deum, composed in 1713 to celebrate the coming of peace after the War of the Spanish Succession, marked Handel’s thunderous beginnings in London. The three works presented on this album by the Gächinger Cantorey under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann all date incidentally to the same time that saw the definitive establishment of the German composer in the English capital. He would very soon take on the status of “national musician” and, following official orders, dedicated himself as much to the Church as to opera. Created with immense success in Saint-Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ultrecht Te Deum and Jubilate displayed a very deft synthesis of genres and paid homage to Purcell while avoiding overly noticeable Italianism. Handel’s art achieved great lyrical expression through pared-down means without being too ostentatious. At a concert given to the Stuttgart Liederhalle, the Te Deum was preceded by the sequel to Il Pastor fido (The Faithful Herdsman), a pastoral opera that the composer brought along with him to England. Within months, Handel became the composer for the Crown and composed an Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, the first of his numerous official scores that set about his musical genius just before the composition of the spectacular Te Deum. © François Hudry/Qobuz