Handel: 6 Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 / Gester, Van Diemen's Band

$10.99
Label
BIS
Release Date
May 7, 2021
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      HANDEL, GEORG FRIEDRICH
    • PERFORMER
      Van Diemen?S Band, Gester, Gester
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      May 07, 2021
    • UPC
      7318599920795
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      BIS-2079
    • LABEL
      BIS
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Vivace

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    2. II. Largo

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    3. III. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    4. IV. Minuet

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    5. V. Gavotte

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    6. I. Largo e staccato

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    7. II. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    8. III. Adagio

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    9. IV. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    10. I. Largo

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    11. II. Fuga: Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    12. III. Adagio

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    13. IV. Allegro, ma non troppo

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    14. V. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    15. I. Vivace

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    16. II. Adagio

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Performer: Martin Gester

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    17. III. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    18. I. Andante - Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    19. II. Andante

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    20. III. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    21. IV. Minuetto alternativo: Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    22. I. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    23. II. Largo

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester

    24. III. Allegro

      Composer: George Frideric Handel

      Ensemble: Van Diemen's Band

      Conductor: Martin Gester


What we know as ‘Handel’s Opus 3’ is most likely little more than a brazen attempt by the London publisher John Walsh to make some quick money. In 1715, Walsh had issued a pirated edition of Corelli’s 12 Concerti Grossi Opus 6 which proved an instant success and left him constantly looking for similar opportunities. Almost 20 years later, perhaps in the knowledge that the royal protection granted to Handel’s musical output was about to expire, Walsh assembled a set of six orchestral pieces for a wide range of instruments. He prefaced them with a wholly misleading title-page – based on Corelli’s style-defining collection – and advertised them as Handel’s ‘Opera Terza’. It is likely that Handel never took part in the selection and organization of the individual movements, although he may have been involved in the revisions made when a reprint was necessary a few years later. Selected from various sources, the six concertos certainly don’t form an organic cycle – in complete contrast to the future Op.?6 concerti grossi, which Handel carefully conceived as a set. The fact remains that Opus 3 contains some of Handel’s best-loved music, in instrumental combinations that are colorful and often unexpected – aspects that Martin Gester and his musicians in the Tasmanian period band Van Diemen’s Band make the most of.

REVIEW:

Handel's op. 3 collection is a test for any group: staying true to the letter & spirit of the score, while keeping the music sounding fresh and alive. Martin Gester and his Tasmanian group Van Diemen's Band have done exactly that, in this wonderful new album from BIS. There's plenty of fire burning here, but it's within the context of impressive musical discipline and lightly-worn Historically Informed Performance scholarship. BIS provides the kind of direct and transparent sound that allows Early Instruments to flourish. This is a highly recommended release!

-- Music for Several Instruments