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Handel: Winged Hands - The Eight Great Suites & Overtures / Corti
Arcana

Handel: Winged Hands - The Eight Great Suites & Overtures / Corti

$29.99

Details

Composer
George Frideric Handel
Artist
Francesco Corti
Format
CD
Label
Arcana
Released
Mar 11, 2022
Catalog #
A499
UPC
3760195734995

About

After the album Bach, Little Books, harpsichordist Francesco Corti continues his collaboration with Arcana with a 2-album recording entirely dedicated to George Frideric Handel. At the center of the project are the eight “Great” suites. These masterpieces were the composer’s first published set, and are a clear testimony to his virtuosity at the keyboard. Their characteristically diversified styles reflect not only the mélange of national traditions assimilated by the young composer, but also his phenomenal improvisatory talent. Moreover, the attraction of these pieces lies in their melodic and rhythmic affinity to the world of singing and orchestral writing, Händel’s strongest interests. Arrangements of Handel’s operatic overtures and arias started circulating early in his career in England, and in his later years he was known to perform his overtures on the keyboard himself. Corti designs a program showcasing the composer’s brilliant treatment of the instrument, choosing to complement the “Great” Suites with a selection of transcriptions from Händel’s own hand and from his close musical circle.

REVIEWS:

It’s possible that Francesco Corti’s distinction as a conductor and a collaborative keyboard artist overshadows his considerable gifts as a harpsichord soloist. For example, whoever hears about his 2010 Bach Partitas released by Berlin Classics, a terrific “sleeper” edition if there ever was one? All this is to say that collectors looking for a reference-worthy harpsichord version of Handel’s eight “great” Suites should consider Corti. Although some listeners may take issue with the slightly distant and diffuse engineering, I find the sound quality attractively rounded, resonant, and warm, as if you’re hearing Corti’s 1738 Christian Vater model instrument in an intimate concert venue.

Certainly the sonics enhance Corti’s wonderfully freewheeling way with Suite No. 1’s improvisatory Prelude and excitingly boisterous Gigue. Suite No. 2’s opening Adagio and Suite No. 3’s concluding Air amount to a masterclass in how to organically integrate ornaments. Suite No. 4’s fugal opening Allegro attains bracing clarity due to Corti’s subtle agogic phrasings, while the ubiquitous Suite No. 5 “Harmonious Blacksmith” variations are more about cumulative build than facile virtuosity.

Despite Corti’s headlong pace for Suite No. 6’s Gigue finale, the rapid phrases have plenty of breathing room. And Suite No. 7 ‘s familiar Passacaille manages to convey both pomp and vulnerability at the same time.

Equally inspired performances of overture transcriptions flesh out this release. I especially love the imaginative registration shifts in Teseo’s Allegro section, plus Corti’s varied approaches to arpeggiating chords in Il pastor fido’s adagio opening section. For all of the thought and scholarship informing Corti’s interpretations, they consistently convey vitality, spontaneity, and forward sweep, without the least hint of self-awareness or pedanticism. Without a doubt, the title “Winged Hands” befits this fabulous release.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Jed Distler)

Tracklist 49 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Prelude 02:21
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Prelude
    Duration
    02:21
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  3. 2 II. Allemande 04:35
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    04:35
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  4. 3 III. Courante 03:01
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    03:01
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  5. 4 IV. Gigue 02:52
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Gigue
    Duration
    02:52
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  6. 5 I. Largo - Presto - Adagio 03:31
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Largo - Presto - Adagio
    Duration
    03:31
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  7. 6 II. Menuet 02:07
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Menuet
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  8. 7 I. Adagio 03:01
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    03:01
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  9. 8 II. Allegro 02:36
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    02:36
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  10. 9 III. Adagio 01:44
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    01:44
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  11. 10 IV. Allegro 02:26
    Track
    10
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    02:26
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  12. 11 Il Pastor fido, HWV 8: Adagio - Allegro - Adagio (arr. for harpsichord) 04:13
    Track
    11
    Title
    Il Pastor fido, HWV 8: Adagio - Allegro - Adagio (arr. for harpsichord)
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  13. 12 I. Prelude 01:00
    Track
    12
    Title
    I. Prelude
    Duration
    01:00
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  14. 13 II. Allegro 02:37
    Track
    13
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    02:37
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  15. 14 III. Allemande 04:15
    Track
    14
    Title
    III. Allemande
    Duration
    04:15
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  16. 15 IV. Courante 01:47
    Track
    15
    Title
    IV. Courante
    Duration
    01:47
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  17. 16 V. Air 04:14
    Track
    16
    Title
    V. Air
    Duration
    04:14
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  18. 17 V. Variations 04:41
    Track
    17
    Title
    V. Variations
    Duration
    04:41
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  19. 18 VI. Presto 04:54
    Track
    18
    Title
    VI. Presto
    Duration
    04:54
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  20. 19 I. Allegro 03:22
    Track
    19
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    03:22
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  21. 20 II. Allemande 02:30
    Track
    20
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    02:30
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  22. 21 III. Courante 02:04
    Track
    21
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  23. 22 IV. Sarabande 03:45
    Track
    22
    Title
    IV. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  24. 23 V. Gigue 01:50
    Track
    23
    Title
    V. Gigue
    Duration
    01:50
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  25. Disc 2
  26. 1 Prelude Presto in F Major (excerpt) 00:52
    Track
    1
    Title
    Prelude Presto in F Major (excerpt)
    Duration
    00:52
    Composer
    William Babell
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  27. 2 I. Vivace – Allegro - Adagio 04:33
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Vivace – Allegro - Adagio
    Duration
    04:33
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  28. 3 III. Giga Presto 01:10
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Giga Presto
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  29. 4 Act II: Aria: Lascia ch'io pianga 05:36
    Track
    4
    Title
    Act II: Aria: Lascia ch'io pianga
    Duration
    05:36
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  30. 5 I. Prelude 02:17
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Prelude
    Duration
    02:17
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  31. 6 II. Allemande 05:15
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Allemande
    Duration
    05:15
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  32. 7 III. Courante 01:40
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Courante
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  33. 8 IV. Air with Variations, "Harmonious Blacksmith" 04:35
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Air with Variations, "Harmonious Blacksmith"
    Duration
    04:35
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  34. 9 Radamisto, HWV 12: Overture: I. Largo - II. Allegro (arr. for harpsichord) 04:09
    Track
    9
    Title
    Radamisto, HWV 12: Overture: I. Largo - II. Allegro (arr. for harpsichord)
    Duration
    04:09
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  35. 10 I. Prelude 01:54
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Prelude
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  36. 11 II. Largo 02:04
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    02:04
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  37. 12 III. Allegro 02:31
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  38. 13 IV. Gigue: Presto 02:31
    Track
    13
    Title
    IV. Gigue: Presto
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  39. 14 I. Largo - II. Allegro - III. Lentement 03:15
    Track
    14
    Title
    I. Largo - II. Allegro - III. Lentement
    Duration
    03:15
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  40. 15 IV. Allegro 01:36
    Track
    15
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  41. 16 I. Overture 04:45
    Track
    16
    Title
    I. Overture
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  42. 17 II. Andante 04:45
    Track
    17
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  43. 18 III. Allegro 01:47
    Track
    18
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    01:47
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  44. 19 IV. Sarabande 03:00
    Track
    19
    Title
    IV. Sarabande
    Duration
    03:00
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  45. 20 V. Gigue 01:35
    Track
    20
    Title
    V. Gigue
    Duration
    01:35
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  46. 21 VI. Passacaille 03:22
    Track
    21
    Title
    VI. Passacaille
    Duration
    03:22
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  47. 22 I. Adagio 02:43
    Track
    22
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    02:43
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  48. 23 II. Allegro 03:13
    Track
    23
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  49. 24 III. Allemande 04:03
    Track
    24
    Title
    III. Allemande
    Duration
    04:03
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  50. 25 IV. Courante 01:39
    Track
    25
    Title
    IV. Courante
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti
  51. 26 V. Gigue 02:24
    Track
    26
    Title
    V. Gigue
    Duration
    02:24
    Composer
    George Frideric Handel
    Performer
    Francesco Corti