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

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

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Details

Composer
HANDEL, GEORG FRIEDRICH
Artist
Van Diemen?S Band, Gester, Gester
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
May 07, 2021
Catalog #
BIS-2079
UPC
7318599920795

About

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

Tracklist 24 tracks

  1. 1 I. Vivace 01:52
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Vivace
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  2. 2 II. Largo 02:44
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  3. 3 III. Allegro 02:22
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  4. 4 IV. Minuet 01:37
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Minuet
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  5. 5 V. Gavotte 03:17
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Gavotte
    Duration
    03:17
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  6. 6 I. Largo e staccato 00:37
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Largo e staccato
    Duration
    00:37
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  7. 7 II. Allegro 02:46
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  8. 8 III. Adagio 01:00
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  9. 9 IV. Allegro 03:50
    Track
    9
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    03:50
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  10. 10 I. Largo 01:33
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Largo
    Duration
    01:33
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  11. 11 II. Fuga: Allegro 02:21
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Fuga: Allegro
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  12. 12 III. Adagio 01:32
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    01:32
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  13. 13 IV. Allegro, ma non troppo 01:41
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Allegro, ma non troppo
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  14. 14 V. Allegro 02:47
    Track
    14
    Title
    V. Allegro
    Duration
    02:47
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  15. 15 I. Vivace 02:43
    Track
    15
    Title
    I. Vivace
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  16. 16 II. Adagio 03:49
    Track
    16
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    03:49
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Martin Gester
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  17. 17 III. Allegro 03:53
    Track
    17
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    03:53
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  18. 18 I. Andante - Allegro 06:19
    Track
    18
    Title
    I. Andante - Allegro
    Duration
    06:19
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  19. 19 II. Andante 01:49
    Track
    19
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  20. 20 III. Allegro 01:35
    Track
    20
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    01:35
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  21. 21 IV. Minuetto alternativo: Allegro 02:33
    Track
    21
    Title
    IV. Minuetto alternativo: Allegro
    Duration
    02:33
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  22. 22 I. Allegro 02:43
    Track
    22
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  23. 23 II. Largo 04:07
    Track
    23
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    04:07
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester
  24. 24 III. Allegro 01:29
    Track
    24
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    01:29
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Ensemble
    Van Diemen's Band
    Conductor
    Martin Gester