Sarah Brightman, Alfie Boe’s ‘God Save The Queen’ Is Out Now
In honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year, Warner Classics have now released the UK’s national anthem, God Save The Queen, in the form of a bundled Double A-side single raising money for the British Red Cross.
The new release features a new recording by British music legends Sarah Brightman and Alfie Boe, who are joined by the NHS Voices of Care Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside a remastered recording of the National Anthem sung at Her Majesty’s 1953 coronation service in Westminster Abbey. The release is available worldwide on iTunes and Amazon Music. The CD single is available at select UK Asda stores and other retailers.
Warner Classics campaign to get Her Majesty to the top of the UK singles chart for the Platinum Jubilee weekend and raise money for the British Red Cross. Brightman and Boe join these efforts by calling on the British public to download, buy and stream the single this week. Warner Music UK and iTunes UK proceeds from this unique digital double A-Side single will be donated to support the vital work of the British Red Cross, of which Her Majesty is a Patron.
Sarah Brightman says: “When I received the call to ask if I wanted to be a part of this adventure with Alfie, I was excited about the opportunity and the efforts behind the project. It means a lot to us both – we’d love to see the anthem get to the top of the charts and raise meaningful funds for the incredible British Red Cross during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations.”
Alfie Boe says: “I feel honoured to be a part of this very special project with the amazing Sarah Brightman, the very talented NHS Voices of Care Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It’s an amazing opportunity to raise money for the British Red Cross who do such a great job day-in day-out, whilst of course trying to get the national anthem to the top of the charts during Her Majesty’s Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend.”
The recording of the BBC’s broadcast of the coronation service from Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953 was taken by means of a direct line to Abbey Road Studios in London. Having first been released on LP in 1953 and later reissued on CD in 1997, it became part of the Warner Classics catalogue following the acquisition of EMI’s Parlophone Label Group in 2013.
Now remastered in Dolby Atmos, the music from the coronation service – which featured a choir comprised of more than four hundred singers – can be heard in immersive audio for the first time on a recording released by Warner Classics to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee. Highlights include much-loved classics I was glad (Parry), Zadok the priest (Handel), O taste and see (Vaughan Williams), and a rousing rendition of the National Anthem, God Save the Queen.