Handel: Messiah (complete oratorio recorded in 1954) (with Bach: Magnificat)

Sir Adrian Boult's first Messiah for Decca (with soloists Jennifer Vyvyan, Norma Procter, George Maran and Owen Brannigan) is newly remastered and coupled with a rare L'Oiseau-Lyre recording of the Bach Magnificat, new to CD, and conducted by Pierre Colombo.

More British singers on top form may be enjoyed in the coupling, a recording of Bach's Magnificat made in 1955 for L'OiseauLyre by the London-based Kalmar Chamber Orchestra and St Anthony Singers. The Swiss conductor Pierre Colombo, little known now, presides over a rhythmically vital account, lent a further 'period' feel by the stylish contributions of both the countertenor Alfred Deller and the slender, pure-toned soprano member of the Deller Consort, Eileen McLoughlin. This reissue is further enhanced by a new essay by R.J. Stove, contextualising both the works and these marvellous performances.

"Beautifully engineered sound. Balance is exceptional … excellent singing … really fine choral discipline" High Fidelity (Handel)

"Deller gives a performance of outstanding distinction" Gramophone (Bach)