The recording took place in the organ gallery at the back of the church, with both audio and video captured for use on Encore (a music promotion platform) and for eventual release on YouTube. The large acoustic of St Columba’s lent itself to the grandeur of Handel’s music.
It’s always a pleasure to perform this work, and this occasion was no exception. However, delivering multiple complete takes without relying on any editing brought a renewed focus to the performance; it was a challenge in the heat of the day, but ultimately a rewarding experience. At one point I felt quite dizzy, since it was such a hot day, and we had played Zadok the Priest several times. As the choir was also going to record Parry’s I was Glad, the three trumpeters took a break in an adjacent room for a few minutes. I mentioned that I had been so hot that I could see some kind of heat haze in the church or perhaps lines in my vision. One of the other trumpeters retorted: ‘er, Russ, those lines are called "the stave"!