Back in 43:6 I enthusiastically reviewed the initial preceding disc to this one, both part of an ongoing project to revive the music of the largely forgotten late 17th-century English composer and polymath Henry Aldrich (1648–1710). As I provided biographical background in that review, I will proceed here directly to the music. With one exception, the Latin-text Oxford ode Hic sede Carolus penned to honor King Charles II in 1682, all of the items presented on this disc are adaptations by Aldrich of works by other composers; one of these, Be not wroth, was also performed on the preceding CD. (Since only 15 of Aldrich’s 35 adaptations now have been recorded, one wonders why another premiere was not offered instead.) The adaptations are of two types: arrangements, in which Aldrich made new versions of previous English anthems (here, six works by Richard Farrant, Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Tallis, and Michael Wise) by setting different English texts, with minimal to moderate rewriting of the music; and recompositions, in which he largely rewrote the original music of other composers for Latin motets (seven works by Carissimi, Palestrina, Byrd, and Tallis) to English translations or English anthems (two works by John Blow and William Mundy), in a manner somewhat akin to the technique used to write contrafacta, but differing in the replacement of Latin texts with English ones. 

While it would require a two-disc set instead of a single disc, I wish that a project such as this would also include recordings of all the original works from which Aldrich fashioned his adaptations, so that one could compare the two readily. (Perhaps Convivium could issue a separate release of such works once all 35 of Aldrich’s adaptations have been recorded.) The detailed and informative booklet notes by Dr. Dean Jobin-Bevans of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada) merit extra points for being forthrightly honest in pointing out some instances where Aldrich’s emendations of the work of his predecessors led to inferior musical results; but again, one needs recordings of the originals for comparison. And, while the pieces presented here all provide pleasure and interest, overall I prefer the completely original compositions of Aldrich offered on the preceding disc. Indeed, to my ears the most interesting entry on this sequel is the one totally novel Aldrich work, the ode Hic sede Carolus. 

Although the forces used to make this recording are completely different from those in the preceding disc, the results are equally excellent. David Maw is obviously a gifted director who has drilled the Oriel Chapel Choir of Oxford University to a T: Intonation, ensemble, and clarity of both diction and musical lines and harmonies are all pinpoint sharp, while organist Alexander Pott provides expertly discreet support. The recorded sound is ideally clear; complete texts are provided. Despite my quibbles above, this disc also merits the warm welcome I gave to its predecessor, and I look forward to the next entry in the series; definitely recommended.