Harrogate 29 June 2022
Choir, orchestra and former Royal Correspondent, Nicholas Owen, recreate musical highlights of The Coronation
From resplendent brass fanfares to the joyful explosion of voices in Zadok the Priest, the music heard at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – Britain’s longest serving monarch – was an integral and memorable part of the royal spectacle.
And whilst the street parties, bunting and flags may be a fading memory, the Platinum Jubilee celebrations continue at Harrogate Music Festival when the Armonico Consort & Baroque Players will recreate the musical highlights of the Coronation service in concert, with a radio-style commentary from one of TV’s best-known faces, former Royal Correspondent Nicholas Owen.
The occasion included some of the most glorious choral music ever written, beginning with Parry’s I Was Glad to which the Princess Elizabeth entered Westminster Abbey, and which was again heard at the start of the Platinum Jubilee service.
Handel’s triumphant Zadok the Priest has been performed at every coronation since George II and preceded the anointing ceremony; and the new Queen processed out of the Abbey to Walton’s celebratory Coronation Te Deum composed specially for the occasion.
The creed from Vaughan Williams’s Mass in G minor, also a feature of the day, marks the composer’s 150th anniversary this year.
Being staged in the sunning setting of St Wilfrid’s Church on Friday, July 15, Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is directed by Christopher Monks, Artistic Director of Armonico Consort.
He said: “We’re aiming to create an aural ‘fly-on-the-wall’ experience for the audience who will feel as though they are listening to a radio broadcast as the major events of the service unfold before them.
“We’ll be including the greatest pieces of music from the day and have a wonderful former TV royal correspondent to create a vivid impression of the spectacle.”
For his part, Nicholas Owen is one of the most recognisable faces on TV news, having spent his career as a presenter on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 news programmes.
He was ITV’s royal correspondent between 1994-2000 and presented shows on Classic FM for many years.
Further information and tickets, priced at £26, are available by calling the Harrogate International Festivals box office on 01423 562 303,by visiting https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/whats-on/coronation-of-queen-elizabeth-ii-6-july-2022/ or by clicking below.