This is the first recording not only of Ave Maris stella and Laudate pueri, but also of the original D major version of Bononcini's Te Deum. The work has been newly arranged here based on eighteenth-century English sources. These works were written during Bononcini's stay in London, and a few months after his arrival the country was struck by a smallpox epidemic, during which the first vaccination against the disease was introduced in England. It is therefore fitting that this film was recorded in the early summer of 2021, six months after the start of the COVID-19 vaccination program in the United Kingdom. Despite the challenges, director Owen Rees says: "It was very encouraging to complete this project after many months of silence".





