Handel's Hope for Peace - Roskilde Cathedral

This concert brings together three of Handel's most celebrated works: the Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate, composed in 1713 to celebrate the Peace of Utrecht, and the Coronation Anthem - Zadok the Priest, written for the coronation of King George II in 1727.

The Peace of Utrecht ended the War of Spanish Succession, which had drained Europe's great powers for over a decade. Handel composed Te Deum and Jubilate as part of the official celebrations in London, and at their premiere in St. Paul's Cathedral, the works were sung by the cathedral's boys' choir - a combination of young and experienced voices that underscored the works' symbolism of new beginnings and hope. Zadok the Priest opens with a dramatic orchestral introduction followed by the choir's magnificent entrance, and the work has sounded at every British coronation since 1727. Many will remember that this very music rang out in Roskilde Cathedral in May 2004, when Mary Donaldson walked down the aisle to be married to Crown Prince Frederik.

The concert is performed by Copenhagen Boys' Choir and Concerto Copenhagen under the direction of conductor Carsten Seyer-Hansen. It is given at both Our Lady's Church in Copenhagen and Roskilde Cathedral.