Few have realised that, shortly after Parry’s glorious setting of Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’, he also wrote a comparable anthem in his setting of John of Gaunt’s speech from Richard II, one of the most purple patches that even Shakespeare ever wrote – ‘This royal throne of Kings, this sceptred island’. But, whereas one has become
a second national anthem, the other remains virtually unknown. That is the first importance of this excellent disc of Parry’s choral music, all of it in various ways with royal connections, as explained in a delightful note by the Prince of Wales: even the Aristophanes incidental music, the Bridal March from which was used at the wedding of his mother, the present Queen.

I confess to a personal connection in that as a 10-year-old I was a member of Freda Parry’s Junior Choir, distinguished enough to have appeared on BBC Children’s Hour in the days long before television. Freda Parry, as the great niece of Sir Hubert, naturally got us singing Parry’s music and our signature tune was England. For some 50 years I have been urging record companies to record England, yet the only version in living memory is the baritone David Lloyd in 1940 singing a solo version, not at all the same thing. Now here at last is a full-blooded choral version, superbly sung and recorded, and I confess that on hearing it I had a lump in my throat. I suspect others will have too. Incidentally, Jerusalem here comes in its original version, for Parry wanted the first stanza to be sung solo, with the chorus entering only for the second, ‘Give me my bow’.

The other items, all much longer but not so striking, are most valuable too, fine examples of Parry’s skill as a writer for chorus. The preparation and editing of these almost forgotten works has been done by the great Parry expert and author of the definitive study, Jeremy Dibble. It adds to the value of the disc that he also writes detailed notes on each work.

The Magnificat of 1897, written for the Three Choirs Festival to the Latin text of the Vulgate, is a very grand setting, later dedicated to Queen Victoria. Henry Wood, who gave the first London performance, predicted that it would become a repertory piece but sadly it was not to be. The fanfare opening is impressive, as is the final thrilling fugato. The Coronation Te Deum of 1910, written for the coronation of George V, may not be as compact or striking as Walton’s for the present Queen but it is another strong and positive work.

In contrast to these grand works, the Aristophanes incidental music represents Parry’s lighter side, except in that final Bridal March. The funeral ode The Glories of Our Blood and State sets words by James Shirley, again in beautifully crafted writing, composed at a time when Parry had been specially impressed by Brahms’s Requiem. Altogether the disc represents one of the most important Parry issues for many years, a credit to all the performers, not least the warmly committed conductor, Neeme Järvi, drawing the whole ensemble together. Warm, atmospheric sound too.