This Brilliant Classics Composer Edition spectacular shines its brilliant light on one of the Baroque-era giants, George Frideric Handel. At a whopping 65 CDs, this set represents the most comprehensive Handel Edition on the market! While not “Complete”, the set 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 grand musical feast covering a wide range of styles, spotlighted instrumentalists and emotions.

The consistently high quality of playing includes performances by Roberto Loreggian in the harpsichord music and legendary soprano Arleen Augér singing the German arias. Handel’s orchestral music is performed by a variety of German chamber groups. The trio sonatas feature L’École d’Orphée, boasting players drawn from some of the leading British Baroque orchestras. The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury, performs Handel’s most famous oratorio, Messiah. This excellent gift idea represents superb value and guarantees a wealth of repeatable, meaningful listening pleasures.

REVIEW:

There is plenty here to more than make up for the absence of opera...[for] me, the discoveries made it worthwhile and I expect to be dipping into this set for a long time to come. The overall value of the set is such that, even with those discs you’ll only hear once, you can think you are getting something for nothing.

-- MusicWeb International