Expectations for Dunedin Consort’s recording of Acis & Galatea were high; its release in 2008 followed on from its hugely successful recording of Handel’s Messiah. The combination of Messiah’s award-winning cast and director John Butt’s insights into authentic performance practice ensured it was met with numerous recommendations and outstanding reviews. Acis & Galatea is a beautiful pastoral entertainment; Handel’s first dramatic work in English is a simple yet highly emotional story that encompasses the extremes of love and tragedy. There are notable differences in the original performing version from 1718, including changes in instrumentation and vocal scoring (there is no alto line) made by Handel to suit the forces at Cannons. Butt chose this version specifically because of the small forces involved, since this was one of the aspects that made Messiah so distinctive; although there have been ‘first versions’ of Acis recorded before, Butt felt that there were certain aspects of the original version that had not yet been sufficiently realized.

HANDEL 9 German Arias. Trio Sonatas: in F, op. 2/4; in b, op. 2/1 • Tempesta di Mare C Players; Julianne Baird (sop) • CHANDOS 743 (69:14 Text and Translation)


Handel’s group of nine German arias, composed in London in the mid 1720s, is unique in his vocal output. They are not big display pieces, and they are not excerpts from operas or oratorios. In fact, we don’t know much about the purpose behind their composition. Catriona MacLeod’s excellent notes make a good case for these having been written for private in-home performances, like the trio sonatas with which Chandos fills out this disc. These are significantly more intimate and inward-looking arias than much of Handel’s vocal writing, reflective in nature—and also chamber-like in the musical relationships between voice and instruments.


This is a lovely recording of this group of arias, but it has stiff competition. On Harmonia Mundi 901689, the great German lyric soprano Dorothea Röschmann recorded these with the Academy of Ancient Music of Berlin, and I find that disc preferable. Röschmann has a liquid beauty in her voice and a warmth of personality that makes you feel as if she is singing each song just to you. Her tone positively glows, and she manages a wide range of color while remaining inside the confines of acceptable Baroque performance style. Baird is very fine here, but with somewhat less varied inflection and tone color, and a voice that is perhaps just a bit less distinguished than Röschmann.


The Harmonia Mundi disc is filled out with Telemann Flute Quartets, which are no more or less appropriate than the Handel trio sonatas here, and the Berlin musicians are the equal of the spirited Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players from Philadelphia. Chandos provides complete texts and translations, wonderfully warm and natural recorded sound, and, as indicated, superb notes. While I slightly prefer the Röschmann version of these arias, this is a delightful and satisfying disc on its own terms.


FANFARE: Henry Fogel

CHRISTMAS WITH WINCHESTER COLLEGE CHAPEL CHOIR

Sara Macliver, soprano
Winchester College Chapel Choir
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
William Lacey, conductor
Recorded live at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 22-23 December 2004

Picture format: NTSC 4:3
Sound format: PCM Stereo / AC3 5.1 / DTS
Region code: 0 (all)
Booklet notes: English, German (sung text included)
Running time: 102 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

* This selection of music for Christmas brings together East and West in the collaboration of Winchester College Chapel Choir and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Recorded live in Hong Kong in December 2004, this disc features a selection of perennial favourites from the Baroque period, including Bach cantatas and Handel’s Messiah, and three exquisite modern carols.

Chapter 1:
Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso, Op. 6 No. 8 ‘Christmas Concerto’

Chapter 2:
From Praetorius to Weir
Michael Praetorius: Come, thou Redeemer of the earth
Richard Rodney Bennett: Out of your sleep
John Tavener: The Lamb
Judith Weir: Illuminare, Jerusalem

Chapter 3:
O Come All Ye Faithful
Anonymous, arr. Willcocks: O come all ye faithful

Chapter 4:
Works by Johann Sebastian Bach
Sinfonia from Cantata, BWV 42
Kyrie from Mass in G, BWV 236
'Herr, der du stark and mächtig bist' from Cantata, BWV 10
'Jesus bleibet meine Freude' from Cantata, BWV 147

Chapter 5:
George Frideric Handel: Concerto Grosso in F, Op. 6 No. 2

Chapter 6:
G.F. Handel: Messiah (excerpts)

Chapter 7:
Joy to the World and The First Noel
Lowell Mason, arr. Rutter: Joy to the World
Anonymous: The First Noel

MUSICAL JOURNEY (A) - ITALY: A Musical Tour of South Tyrol (NTSC)

ITALY


The Places
South Tyrol, in Northern Italy, has had a varied history, for many years as part of Austrian territory. The region remains largely German-speaking, although both German and Italian are used. Looming over the territory are the mountains, the Dolomites, with their strange shapes, and the Alps, while the valleys provide fertile ground for the production of wine.

The Music Music for the tour is taken from four Concerti grossi by Handel. Born in Halle in 1685, Handel had his first musical employment there and then in Hamburg, before moving in 1706 to Italy, where he remained until 1710, when he was appointed Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover. He travelled almost at once to London, where he had been engaged to compose an Italian opera, and from 1712 until his death in 1759 settled in England, winning fame first as a composer of Italian opera and then as the creator of English oratorio.

Picture format: NTSC 4:3
Sound format: PCM Stereo 2.0 / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 56 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

HANDEL Coronation Anthems . Organ Concerto, op. 4/4. Salve Regina 1. Semele 1 : Endless Pleasure, Endless Love; My Racking Thoughts; O Ecstasy of Happiness! … Myself I Shall Adore. Solomon: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba • Harry Christophers, cond; The Sixteen Ch and O (period instruments); 1 Carolyn Sampson (sop) • CORO 16083 (DVD: 120:00) Live, London 8/12/2009


This BBC Proms concert, titled A Handel Celebration , commemorates the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death and the 30th anniversary of the founding of The Sixteen, which got its name from the fact that the original chorus had 16 members. The forces used here are a bit larger than those Harry Christophers usually employs. The mixed-voice chorus numbers 30, and the orchestra is listed at 42 members, although it does not appear that they are all onstage at the same time.


The Sixteen has been one of the best period-instrument groups since its founding, and one can see and hear here that both chorus and orchestra remain at the top of their form. Christophers leads performances that are respectful of Handel’s scores, with well-chosen tempos. The orchestra plays with precision (with the occasional slightly sour note to be expected of a live performance), and the chorus projects the words of the four Coronation Anthems vividly. Carolyn Sampson is outstanding in the Salve Regina and the three excerpts from Semele . In the Semele selections, she more than sings the notes; she uses her body and face to create the character she is portraying.


I have stated before that I do not see much use for a DVD preserving a concert because of the limited variety of visual images available in such a setting. Sampson’s portrayal of Semele does, however, provide some justification for seeing as well as hearing her performance, especially in the case of “Myself I Shall Adore.” Christophers hands Sampson a mirror before she begins the aria, and she uses it in giving an engaging performance that draws laughter from the audience, followed by a well-deserved ovation.


The version of the organ concerto featured here is the original version. Although Handel’s organ concertos were written to be performed between the acts of his oratorios, in the first performances in London of Athalia , the concerto was written to be performed before the final (“Hallelujah”) chorus and integrated into it. That is the version we get here, with the chorus.


The DVD has a short interview with Christophers during the intermission of the concert and a slightly longer one as a bonus feature. For some unknown reason, one of the anthems and the Salve Regina are removed from their places in the concert and put into the bonus features section. The anthem My Heart Is Indicting originally concluded the first half of the concert, and Christophers refers to it in his intermission interview, a reference that is puzzling unless one knows that he had just performed the anthem. The Salve Regina was originally the second item in the second part of the concert. Their placement as bonus tracks is nonsensical. The only other bonus feature is written biographies of the principals.


Christophers has recorded most of this material on CD, all available on Coro. His Coronation Anthems is one of my two preferred versions. The organ concerto and the sinfonia from Solomon can be found as additional tracks on that CD. The Salve Regina and selections from Semele are not otherwise available from these forces.


For those who enjoy concert performances, this DVD is an easy recommendation. For the rest of us, the previously unrecorded selections, especially Sampson’s items from Semele , make this a tempting purchase.


FANFARE: Ron Salemi

Following their acclaimed recording of Handel’s Rodelinda (BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month, Gramophone Editor’s Choice), The English Concert and Harry Bicket continue their Handel series with a superb soloist line-up including Sophie Bevan, Iestyn Davies, Ashley Riches, Hugo Hymas and Lucy Crowe. Starting with an unusual verbal altercation between an Angel and Lucifer, Handel’s La Resurrezione is an extraordinary retelling of the three days between Christ’s death and resurrection which is unlike any other Passion or Oratorio. This journey centers around women, Mary Magdalene and Mary Cleophas, in a way that seems very modern, and which mirrors the ambiguities of their feelings in music that is completely original in concept and orchestration. The journey from grief, through hope, to love is wonderfully depicted. The message seems to be that grief is the price we pay for love; and that should be part of the narrative of our lives, not the defining moment.

John Beard was a young tenor who came to George Frideric Handel’s attention when still a teenager. He inspired the great composer to give new focus to the tenor voice within his English oratorios. Beard was Handel’s ideal in his demands for ‘articulate utterance of the words and a just expression of the melody’- a collaboration that climaxed in Handel’s creation of the first truly great tenor part as the hero in Samson. Grammy Award-winning tenor Aaron Sheehan steps into John Beard’s shoes equipped with a voice of ‘shining quality and deep sensitivity’ (The New York Times).

George Frideric Handel was one of those rare composers who excelled in works sacred and secular, instrumental and operatic, leaving us extraordinary masterpieces in every field of music. Already renowned in Italy, Handel made himself known in London with Rinaldo in 1711, which was such a success that he decided to remain in England for good. It is still regarded as one of his greatest operas. Set during the Crusades, Rinaldo is a lavish spectacle that tells a story of love, magic, struggles for power and ultimate reconciliation. Pier Luigi Pizzi's acclaimed production brings us into a 'dreamlike, unreal... world of spells and incantations'. (Epoca). This production by Pier Luigi Pizzi, conceived in 1985 for Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia, has traveled since to some twenty major opera houses worldwide. Discounting practical cuts and a few displacements of musical numbers, it's durable attraction lies in the gorgeous costumes and scenery, a stylish paragon of Hyperbaroque eschewing both literalism and cheap provocation. It is performed at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which was the first theatre to reopen after lockdown. The set design and direction perfectly respond to the current safety measures.

The resounding success Handel’s Messiah encountered the first time it was presented in Dublin in 1742 set the scene for its future. The oratorio depicts the Sacred History of Christ in three parts: the Nativity, Christ’s Passion and Resurrection and finally, Redemption. The alternance of airs and choirs is perfect and Handel’s musical knowledge infallible. Messiah quickly became the composer’s most successful work. It was played thirty-six times during his lifetime and has continued to be presented to modern day, embodying just how majestic and sublime music can be. During its première in London, King George II was so moved by the mythical Hallelujah! that he could not help but leap to his feet, with the entire audience following his lead. In the sumptuous Royal Chapel at Versailles, Hervé Niquet leads four impassioned soloists and a tremulous choir to the height of Handel’s most resplendent baroque edifice!

Experience the transcendent glory of Messiah in Sir Andrew Davis’s majestic, must-hear edition of Handel’s beloved classic. Recorded live on SACD, this unique version makes use of all the colours available from the modern symphony orchestra to underline the mood and meaning of the individual movements. Without detracting from the innate power of the original, the conductor’s score calls for moments of drama, pathos, and even, sometimes, whimsicality. It is supported by substantial brass and woodwind forces, and several percussion instruments (including marimba!).

REVIEW:

The performance is lightly cut, mainly toward the ends of Parts II and III, and both da capo arias (‘He was despised’ and ‘The trumpet shall sound’) have only the A section. Most of the ornamentation, including simple appoggiaturas, is omitted, as well as most occasions for what I call justified rhythms, where, say, upbeat eighth notes are taken as sixteenths to match other parts. Where choices are available, the common ones prevail, as in the 4/4 ‘Rejoice’ and the duet version of ‘He shall feed his flock’.

Tempos are crisp and modern, and the performers are all very good. The four soloists (with mezzo, not countertenor) are first rate; and the choir, which must number around 150, sings with the agility of much smaller groups. This is a “big” Messiah with none of the problems we normally associate with such endeavors. I guess we could call it “historically informed” because tempos are brisk and the spirit is not at all romantic. It also struck me as a gentle repudiation of Musicological Correctness—and that is no doubt a good thing. I dare say that if you had a contest lining up all the approaches to Messiah and had a review panel consisting of people with no musicological prejudices, this would be the winner.

-- American Record Guide

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Barthold Heinrich Brockes wrote a libretto on the Passion of Christ – based on the account in Matthew’s Gospel – which was set to music by many composers of his time, including Reinhard Keiser, Georg Philip Telemann and George Frideric Handel. It is Handel’s version of the latter that the period-instrument ensemble Arcangelo has chosen to present here. Under the direction of Jonathan Cohen, these specialists in the Baroque repertory are joined by the voices of Sandrine Piau, whose numerous Handel recordings are regarded as a benchmark, the tenor Stuart Jackson and the baritone Konstantin Krimmel, recently revealed in a debut recital for Alpha (Saga, ALPHA549). Together they resurrect the operatic splendor of a work that was first performed in 1719 and is thought to have influenced numerous passages of J. S. Bach’s St John Passion, written a few years later.

REVIEW:

Conductor Jonathan Cohen is working with excellent soloists. They're led by soprano Sandrine Piau, who has a crushing 14 arias and brings personality to each one. Tenor Stuart Jackson has a big, exciting voice, and baritone Konstantin Krimmel is splendid in his duet with Mary Bevan. The oratorio also has smaller solo roles, here taken by members of the choir, and all are well handled.

– AllMusicGuide.com (James Manheim)

BERNSTEIN CENTURY - HANDEL: OD

Includes work(s) by George Frideric Handel.

Includes concerto(s) for trumpet: excerpt(s) by George Frideric Handel. Ensemble: Capella Istropolitana. Conductor: Richard Edlinger. Soloist: Miroslav Kajmar.