Handel: Oratorios (Messiah, Saul, Alexander's Feast, Belshazzar, Ode on St Cecilia's Day)(9CD) These five splendid works for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra were composed by Handel in the 1730s and 1740s. Treating both sacred and secular themes, they are inspired by the same dramatic genius that made Handel a master of opera. Conducting a dazzling array of soloists and Concentus Musicus Wien, the groundbreaking ensemble he established in the early 1950s, Nikolaus Harnoncourt unfolds their narratives with his customary flair, precision and immediacy.

Classical Music

Classical Music

A household word when speaking of repertoire, legendary flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal devoted just as much effort to establishing the masterpieces in their rightful place as to unearthing countless works from the baroque, classical and romantic eras. As far as concertos are concerned, cornerstones by Bach, Mozart and Vivaldi thus gained worldwide fame, and it went the same way for Ibert, Jolivet and Nielsen. Unfailing lyric sense, purity of style, magnificent tone, grace of phrasing, fabulous virtuosity, tremendous commitment... Critics, colleagues and the public were all running out of superlatives. Immediately valued as references, his recordings still fascinate and often leave the listener exhilarated. This 12 CD set tries the challenge of surrounding these marvels with some of the most dazzling rediscoveries, offering famous and less famous music, but equally glorious interpretations.

His exceptional touch and sense of phrasing, his deep and personal understanding of the most varied repertoires, or even the legendary trio he formed together with Jacques Thibaud and Pablo Casals, made Alfred Cortot the greatest pianist of his time. Master of many disciples, notably the brilliant Dinu Lipatti, Samson François and Clara Haskil, Cortot also had a lasting influence on the Russian piano school through Samuil Feinberg and Heinrich Neuhaus, the latter himself being the revered teacher of Sviatoslav Richter.

All of the recordings in this set had undergone careful sound restoration in 2012, in order to respect as closely as possible the original sound. The remastering was carried out under the expert control of Mr. Guthrie Luke, a former disciple of Alfred Cortot who attended many recording sessions by Cortot. These recordings do not represent a "complete" edition: the many rolls engraved by the artist for Duo-Art, Aeolian and Pleyela labels have not been reproduced here, most of them doubling the 78-RPM repertoire. The first recordings are acoustic; and the ones with an electric microphone appeared as early as 1926.

At the borders of mythical Lydia, a crisis erupts: Prince Melo takes up arms against his father, King Halyattes, who has been blinded by the slanders of a deceitful adviser who made him believe he would be disinherited in favor of an usurper. It is in this torn kingdom that Sosarme, sovereign of Media and future husband of Princess Elmira, steps forward as a mediator, determined to calm the fury of blood and restore peace. Drawing on the conventions of opera seria, Handel achieves a subtle balance between the power of Antonio Salvi's text and the richness of the score, building a bridge between the Lullian tradition and the innovations later brought by Rameau. Under the direction of Marco Angioloni, the Orchestre de l'Op�ra Royal delivers a Sosarme that is both innovative and filled with vitality and emotion.

Landmark works of Baroque chamber music given a 21st-century twist. The extent to which George Frederic Handel's flute sonatas 'belong' on the flute is an open question. Some sonatas were composed with the violin in mind, and then arranged by Handel's London publisher, John Walsh, ever alert to a commercial opportunity. Others were probably conceived for recorder and basso continuo, and then transposed for the different register of the flute. Most of them were written around the 1720s, but some date from rather earlier, so far as we can tell. Even more than his contemporaries such as Bach, Handel was an assiduous reuser and recycler of his own material, and thus the notion of early and late style in this music, and an evolution between them, becomes somewhat moot. Not entirely, however, for there is a discernible movement away from Italian and towards French models of rhetoric in the sonatas, just as the oratorios develop an increased richness of harmony and economy of gesture during the decades of Handel's English period. To accompany this new recording, the flautist Lorenzo d'Ant� has supplied invaluable chapter and verse for each sonata in his booklet essay. He also brings them alive in his partnership with the guitarist Michele Di Filippo, with the aim of rediscovering 'these antique masterpieces, and observing them from a new and modern perspective.' Thus the basso continuo lines, usually encountered on a harpsichord or combination of cello, lute and keyboard, have been mapped on to the guitar. This is a practice with many honourable precedents, dating back to Handel's own time. Lorenzo d'Ant� graduated from the conservatoire in Rome in 2017. While at a relatively early stage in his career, he is already principal flute of the orchestra of the Arena di Verona. He has also performed as a concerto soloist and recitalist in festivals and venues across Italy and Switzerland. He is partnered here by Michele di Filippo, a guitarist born in 1994 who is also active as a composer.

Although Israel in Egypt was first performed on 4 April 1739 in tripartite form, Handel probably first composed this oratorio without a complete text. Herve Niquet has chosen to record the version in two parts that Berlioz and the whole of the 19th century considered definitive, these being the Exodus and the Song of Moses. Produced just after the Covid pandemic, this recording also shows the joy of Le Concert Spirituel's singers and instrumentalists at making music together again: Herve Niquet says the final chorus "is a cry of happiness in unison" and sees an "almost palpable drama in these works: the two choruses face each other on either side of the orchestra and respond to each other in violent retaliations and monumental unisons. Their interweaving in diabolical movements is like a theatrical staging before our very eyes."

Set during the Roman Civil W War (49-45 BCE), Handel's "Giulio Cesare" is an intense drama filled with romance, tragedy and political intrigue. The plot centers on Cleopatra's campaign to seduce Julius Caesar in order to enlist his support in her becoming Queen of Egypt. Handel's music breathes the atmosphere of the Baroque with virtuosic vocal fireworks and subtle arias. This acclaimed production is given a modern setting populated by power-hungry oligarchs who are placed by director Calixto Bieito into 'a digital dream world in a desert paradise'.

Set during the Roman Civil W War (49-45 BCE), Handel's "Giulio Cesare" is an intense drama filled with romance, tragedy and political intrigue. The plot centers on Cleopatra's campaign to seduce Julius Caesar in order to enlist his support in her becoming Queen of Egypt. Handel's music breathes the atmosphere of the Baroque with virtuosic vocal fireworks and subtle arias. This acclaimed production is given a modern setting populated by power-hungry oligarchs who are placed by director Calixto Bieito into 'a digital dream world in a desert paradise'.

In London in 1736, the Baroque genius Handel celebrated the power of music with his oratorio about Alexander the Great, one of the greatest successes of his life. Covent Garden was never so full as on the evening of the premiere. For this original English version, Alfredo Bernardini unites the fantastic voices of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir with his lively Zefiro Baroque Orchestra. The three soloists Miriam Kutrowatz, Daniel Johannsen and Damien Gastl tell the ancient story of how the singer Timotheus was once able to change the mood of the great Alexander, evoking a whirlwind of diverse emotions, highlighting the power of music over politics and war.

GIULIO CESARE

MESSIAH

OTTONE

In the summer of 1717, after performing his Water Music during a royal cruise on the Thames, Handel began composing for James Brydges (1674-1744), who became the first Duke of Chandos and created the Cannons Concert at his estate in Cannons (near Edgware), with ten instrumentalists and three singers. Handel composed eleven anthems and a Te Deum for him from August 1717 onwards, as well as transposing and revising As pants the hart (HWV 251b). O sing unto the Lord a new song (HWV 249b) is an adaptation of an anthem written three years earlier for the Chapel Royal. The anthem Have mercy upon me, O God (HWV 248) was composed in 1717 and is a paraphrase of the Miserere. The Alleluia of Let God arise (HWV 256a) prefigures the famous Hallelujah chorus from Messiah (1741). Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen now revive these four Chandos anthems composed for Cannons with eight singers and eleven excellent instrumentalists.

The magnificent Christopher Purves performs a recital of Handel's bass arias. This unique collection demonstrates the range and brilliance of Handel's writing for this voice, featuring a selection from Italian and English operas, English classical drama, Biblical oratorios, literary odes and a masque. Handel's endlessly imaginative gift for characterization is fully explored here, with Purves commanding an extraordinary emotional and technical range from the buffo blustering of Polyphemus in Acis and Gatalea to the loving musings of Abinoam in 'Tears, such as tender fathers shed' from the oratorio Deborah. 'With his acting chops and weighty bass-baritone, Purves in full cry is a splendid and fearful spectacle' (The Times)

Sir Neville Marriner conducts this 250th Anniversary performance. Soloists include Sylvia McNair, Anne Sofie Van Otter.

Handel's Messiah needs no introduction. This mighty yet majestic masterpiece is the most popular oratorio ever written and includes, arguably, the most famous chorus of all time-the iconic Hallelujah! Handel was a master chorus writer and for Messiah he certainly pulled out all the stops, placing the choir front and centre throughout. Although it has become synonymous with Christmas, Messiah was originally written as an Easter offering, bursting onto the stage of the Musick Hall in Dublin in April 1742. Taken from it's Award-winning 2008 complete recording of Messiah (COR16062), this collection from The Sixteen celebrates the wonderful choruses that have given so many singers, both amateur and professional, such joy and inspired an enduring love for this epic work.

Handel composed his oratorio La Resurrezione in 1707 with a libretto that provided a dramatic canvas for his new work: lamentation on Christ's death contrasted with violent exchanges between the Angel and Lucifer. It inspired the young Handel to compose music of lavish richness and expressive drama. In this historically informed performance, conductor Attilio Cremonesi has done extensive research into the work's 1708 premiere in Rome.

Handel's violin sonatas composed in London stretch from the heyday of the Royal Academy of Music's Italian opera productions to his last English oratorios. The original purposes, contexts and performers of the sonatas are unknown: only a few survive in autograph manuscripts, and the authorship and instrumentation of pieces preserved in unreliable early printed sources are a confusing mess. Quartetto Vanvitelli invent a narrative that explores the possibilities of emotions, sonorities and connecting tonalities that are offered by several authentic violin sonatas, a few spurious misattributions, quotations from Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724) and arrangements from several keyboard pieces - a creative vision designed to refract light through the prism of Handel's music.

An exact contemporary of Bach, George Frideric Handel was one of the most important composers of the Baroque era, carving out a career for himself which was equally as impressive as his fellow countryman's. Born in Halle, Germany, to parents who were initially opposed to his devotion to music, Handel soon moved from his hometown to the great operatic centre of Hamburg. The opportunity to meet people from around Europe led to a rapid development of his skills, and, influenced by the Italian style that was gathering pace around him, the composer took the opportunity to travel to Italy, staging La Resurrezione in Rome in 1708. Handel's reputation soon picked up, and in 1710 he became Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hannover, Prince George, who would soon become King George I of England. The connection with England had been established, and Handel moved there permanently in 1714, helping to found the Royal Academy of Music five years later. When the new Covent Garden Theatre was established in 1736, Handel celebrated the opening night with a performance of Alexander's Feast (included in full on this release). Following his operatic success, the composer turned to oratorios, starting with the biblical Saul and Israel in Egypt, and premiering Messiah in Dublin in 1742. The next year, despite suffering paralysis in his hand, he completed Samson and the Dettingen Te Deum, with Semele appearing in February 1744. Five years later came one of his most popular works, Music for the Royal Fireworks; up to 12,000 people attended the first performance, an indication of just how popular the composer was in his own lifetime. After staging a performance of Messiah to benefit the Foundling Hospital in 1749, Handel was made a governor, beginning a relationship with the institution that would last the rest of his life. Although he was most famous for his opera and oratorios, Handel composed a large amount of keyboard music; among the works featured on this compilation are the Suites de pieces pour le clavecin, the first volume of which appeared in 1720. His chamber music (mostly solo and trio sonatas) also makes up an important part of his oeuvre, with his best contributions to this genre contained in the Opus 2 collection (included in full on this release), which comprises sonatas for oboe, flute, recorder or violin and represents the perfect summation of the composer's wealth of invention and expressivity. Handel was also an expert orchestral writer, composing purely orchestral music alongside music for his dramatic works. The Water Music, justly some of his most celebrated music today, was the first in England to be scored for horns; and the Music for the Royal Fireworks was a massive project, with three horns and three trumpets combining forces to create the sound necessary to carry outdoors. Both these works and an array of other orchestral pieces are included on this substantial box set. A wealth of artists - both established and emerging - make up this Brilliant Classics release, once again representing astonishing value for money. Handel's orchestral music is performed by a variety of German chamber groups, including the Handel-Festspielorchester Halle, and the ensuing oboe and organ concertos are played by Baroque experts City of London Sinfonia. The trio sonatas feature L'ecole d'Orphee, which boasts players drawn from some of the leading British Baroque orchestras, including the Academy of Ancient Music. The consistently high quality of playing continues with Roberto Loreggian performing Handel's harpsichord music, and legendary soprano Arleen Auger singing his German arias. Sir David Willcocks conducts the Holland Boys' Choir in the Coronation Anthems, including the ever popular Zadok the Priest, and arguably Handel's most famous oratorio, Messiah, is performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. An excellent gift idea, this release represents superb value for money and hours of listening pleasure. The most comprehensive Handel Edition on the market! Brilliant Classics continues it's famous Composer Edition series with one of the giants of the Baroque, George Frideric Handel, the celebrated German who settled in London. Having absorbed the German and Italian styles of his time he formed his own distinctive musical language, which, while following the current fashions and audience preferences, retained his own deep humanity and inner power. Handel embraced all musical genres of his time, and this Edition, while not "Complete", presents a substantial and representative oeuvre: 12 complete oratorios, cantatas, Odes, Anthems, Arias, Duets, the complete chamber music, the complete keyboard works, the complete organ concertos, oboe concertos, the complete Concerti Grossi, the Water Music and Fireworks Music: a musical feast of grandeur and intimacy, of joy and sorrow, of pomp and grace, of instrumental and vocal brilliance and of every emotion a human being is capable of. excellent performances by leading ensembles, soloists and choirs: Concerto Koln, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, English Chamber Orchestra, King's College Choir and many others.

Barthold Heinrich Brockes was an influential German poet who added reflective and descriptive poetry into the texture of his Passion. Among several musical settings, the most famous is the one by Handel. This acclaimed staged version transports Handel's Brockes Passion into the opera house, widening the work's historical narrative to embrace the creation of the world, bringing a message of human greed and destruction into direct contact with the present day. The Handelfestspielorchester Halle, on period instruments, is conducted by Michael Hofstetter.

The album Intrecci New compositions and arrangements for Guitar, produced with the support of the MiC Ministry of Culture and SIAE as part of the 'Per Chi Crea' program, presents a singular listening itinerary that sees Giacomo Susani's two souls as an interpreter and composer dialogue in an original way. The program unfolds in four pairs of songs: four original compositions, accompanied by four repertoire arrangements created by Susani himself. "Mine was not an operation of transcription as faithful as possible to the originals - says Giacomo Susani - but I decided to move in an arrangement dimension functional to the narrative arc of the CD and therefore aimed at enhancing the intrinsically identifying qualities of the guitar." The first pair of songs that opens the album sees two works brought together and characterized by a fundamental contrapuntal architecture: a very short Fuga by G.F. Handel, taken from Voluntary X for organ, and the original piece Dialogo (homage to Lauro), born from a commission received by Pixaudio for an upcoming documentary on Antonio Lauro. With a change of interior landscape, we move on to Caprice 4 for solo violin by Pierre Rode, a composer and famous French violinist who lived between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, associated with the piece that gives the album it's title: Intrecci (homage to Paganini) by Susani, a work commissioned by the Paganini Guitar Festival 2024 and which pays homage to Paganini by developing a dialogue between the two gestural worlds, that of the violin and that of the guitar, both loved by the Genoese composer. The third pair of pieces leads into the more abstract dimension of melancholy and meditation, with the very famous June by P.I. Tchaikovsky for piano in the version for guitar created by Giacomo Susani and the original piece by Susani Gems dreaming which the author considers his most abstract work among those on the album. The listening ends with an arrangement of Moon River by Henry Mancini and an original piece in three movements inspired by three paintings by the British author Frederic Leighton. An album that develops in an eclectic meeting of sound worlds and artistic illuminations, where the classical repertoire is singularly intertwined with contemporary expression.

Classical Music

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