This is Stephen Layton's second disc devoted to the anthems Handel wrote for the Duke of Chandos, on terms unknown, for performance at his Palladian mansion in 1717 and 1718. The music is vintage Handel, and Layton's performances of O come, let us sing unto the Lord, As pants the hart, and I will magnify thee, O God, have the kind of fullness and nobility, the clarity of words and the sureness of expression to which every Christmas performance of Messiah surely aspires. The team of soloists – soprano Susan Gritton, counter tenor Iestyn Davies and tenor Thomas Hobbs – is also strong. url.ie/4qdb