Chor der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel/ Anthony Rooley Glossa GCD 922501 *****

The giant shadow that Handel cast in the England of the 18th century was an unfortunate darkness for other composers. In the words of Anthony Rooley, they were “like country mice scratting for barely their existence to be noted”. Enter Rooley as the apologist for Gloucester-born William Hayes (1708-77), whose

The Passions, An Ode for Music

(1750), Rooley has brought to life for modern ears. The music historian Charles Burney, called Hayes

“a great collector of curious and old compositions, and possessed of considerable genius and abilities for producing new”. Hayes’s ode includes representations of passions from Fear, Anger, Despair and Revenge to Hope, Cheerfulness and Joy. And Rooley’s delectable performance, with some truly magical moments in the solo singing, fully justifies the revival of this remarkable work. See url.ie/5afh