Royal Festival Orchestra and Choir - Zadok the Priest (Handel) (1951)

Here is a live recording of 'Zadok the Priest,' performed by the Royal Festival Orchestra and Choir conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent, with organ by R. Arnold Greir, and recorded at the ceremonial opening concert of the Royal Festival Hall on 3 May 1951.
From Wikipedia: The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I listed building, the first post-war building to become so protected (in 1981). The London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment are resident in the hall.
The hall was built as part of the Festival of Britain for London County Council, and was officially opened on 3 May 1951. When the LCC's successor, the Greater London Council, was abolished in 1986, the Festival Hall was taken over by the Arts Council, and managed together with the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room (opened 1967) and the Hayward Gallery (1968), eventually becoming an independent arts organisation, now known as the Southbank Centre, in April 1998.

[@teddythomson8921]

The summit of music.

[@vintagesounds3878]

@@teddythomson8921 Thanks!

[@stefanrauch8933]

The "Imperial Star Destroyer" of Handels masterpiece! Universal,life-affirming,vigorous,rousing! Goosbumps! The performance is a pure joy! Sir Malcolm Sargent was such a great conductor! It is about time to rediscover this outstanding musician!!

[@vintagesounds3878]

Yes, Sargent was truly at home in this repertoire and did it so well! Even before the choir starts, the build-up of tension in the introduction is amazing. Btw, if you search this channel under "Royal Choral Society" you'll find two choruses from "Messiah" conducted by the young Sargent in live performances from 1926. They might be primitive compared with the Festival Hall recordings, but they're great examples of what Sargent could accomplish at that early stage of his career.

[@mikewilliams6456]

Absolutely beautiful ❤❤Mike

[@teddythomson8921]

Fabulous ❤❤❤

[@vintagesounds3878]

Thanks!

[@gavinmillar7519]

And two years later it would be performed under very different circumstances in London. How much history and the pageant of life is wrapped up in discs of shellac.

[@ykst6685]

best version ever, sending chills down my spine. sounds even grander than the 1953 coronation. whereas the May coronation version was meh.

[@vintagesounds3878]

Yes, I think that's right. I'm sure I have another record from the same performance.

[@justinashworth2558]

Sung this in St. James's Chapel Royal choir in the 1980s

[@vintagesounds3878]

Great!

[@ΊωνΔήμας-Τσιριγώτης]

THE CHAMPIONS

[@SLR-722]

❤

[@DukeofDarkCorners]

Brilliant! Do you have any other material from this concert?

[@vintagesounds3878]

I don't believe so, but I'll double check.

[@georgev9170]

This is by far the best version I've heard so far. They should have used this orchestration for Charles' coronation. Infinitely more stirring than the galore of thin, textureless, faux-baroque interpretations you get to hear nowadays.

[@vintagesounds3878]

Oh yes, I agree! So-called historically informed performance practice has a lot to answer for.

[@teddythomson8921]

The best version ever❤❤❤

[@teddythomson8921]

❤❤❤

[@karldelavigne8134]

Extraordinary dynamics in the introduction, and the re-orchestration is tastefully done.

[@vintagesounds3878]

Very powerful!

[@JoséAntonioTerStege]

Preciosooo❤❤❤❤👍👌