This is a most elegant version of these stirring works. The chorus, clearset against the orchestra, moves with the same precision as the players, and Marriner's control of the rhytmic groupings is a delight. Zadok the priest seems on the leisurely side. Done this way it sounds a bit as though they annointed a little bystander called Solomon King. I kept thinking, though, how vital to these works is a good stone-surfaced ecclesiastical acousitc—the one thing lacking here. Well, not quite—in all these performances there's missing the sense of occasion. Preston on Archiv Produktion is nearest to it with the Abbey choir, but he's not in the best acoustic. Ledger is, but his choir don't sound so convinced about it as his excellent players (HMV). All in all, I think the Marriner is the best bet. Besides, he's offering a rarity— ''See the conqu'ring hero comes'', with a fair amount of environment from its parent Judas Maccabaeus. Those who only know the first bit of tune arranged by bandmasters have a pleasure in store. In this, as in the Coronation Anthems, there is a sharp focus on orchestral detail.R1 '8511091'