Disc 1
6 Concerti per l’organo ed altri stromenti Op.4
01. Concerto No.1 in G minor HWV289 : I. Larghetto e staccato - Adagio
02. II. Allegro
03. III. Adagio
04. IV. Andante
05. Concerto No.2 in B flat major HWV290 : I. A tempo ordinario e staccato - Adagio
06. II. Allegro                                       
07. III. Adagio e staccato
08. IV. Allegro ma non presto                         play
09. Concerto No.3 in G minor HWV291 : I. Adagio
10. II. Allegro
11. III. Adagio
12. IV. Gavotte. Allegro
13. Concerto No.4 in F major HWV292 : I. Allegro
14. II. Andante
15. III. Adagio
16. IV. Allegro
17. Concerto No.5 in F major HWV293 : I. Larghetto
18. II. Allegro
19. III. Alla Siciliana
20. IV. Presto
21. Concerto No.6 in B flat major for harp HWV294 : I. Andante allegro
22. II. Larghetto - Adagio
23. III. Allegro moderato

Disc 2
6 Concerti per l’organo Op.7
01. Concerto No.1 in B flat major HWV306: I. Andante
02. II. Andante - Allegro
03. III. Largo e piano
04. IV. Allegro
05. V. Organo ad libitum. Adagio
06. VI. Bourree. Allegro
07. Concerto No.2 in A major HWV307: I. Ouverture
08. II. A tempo ordinario
09. III. Organo ad libitum. Adagio
10. IV. Allegro
11. Concerto No.3 in B flat major HWV308: I. Allegro
12. II. Organo ad libitum. Adagio - Fuga
13. III. Spiritoso
14. IV. Menuet                                             play
15. Concerto No.4 in D minor HWV309: I. Adagio
16. II. Allegro cosi cosi
17. III. Organo ad libitum. Fuga, Larghetto
18. IV. Allegro

Disc 3
01. Concerto No.5 in D minor HWV310: I. Staccato ma non troppo allegro
02. II. Andante larghetto e staccato
03. III. Menuet
04. IV. Gavotte
05. Concerto No.6 in B flat major HWV311: I. Pomposo
06. II. Organo ad libitum. Air. Lentement
07. III. Air. A tempo ordinario                                        play
08. Organ Concerto in F major HWV295 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale': I. Larghetto
09. II. Allegro
10. III. Larghetto
11. IV. Allegro
12. Organ Concerto in A major HWV296: I. Largo e staccato
13. II. Organo ad libitum. Fuga. Allegro
14. III. Andante
15. IV. Grave
16. V. Allegro
17. Organ Concerto in D minor HWV304: I. Andante
18. II. Organo ad libitum. Adagio - Fuga
19. III. Allegro

Simon Preston - organ
Ursula Holliger - harp
English Concert Orchestra
Conductor - Trevor Pinnock

To embark upon all the organ concertos in Handel's Op. 4 and Op. 7 means offering listeners another opportunity of enjoying this treasure house of delights, a store so entrancing that one is tempted to hear the whole lot straight off—and indeed I could hear them twice over without any difficulty. This opening set provides the six concertos of Op. 4 plus No. 14 from Op. 17. I will state at once that we have here a first-class product which will give endless pleasure and bear a good deal of repetition. So this is perhaps a decent moment to slip in a couple of comments on the debit side. First, I would have preferred to have the organ further forward, if it is so often to be modest in its registration. If there are good reasons why it should be placed at a distance, then the registration needs perking up and the soloist's right hand must not rely so much on legato playing. Secondly, this particular instrument has an unlovable bass to its diapason stop. When upper work is added, all is well on all counts.

The organ, built by John Byfield in 1766, is in the Finchcocks collection. As the concertos proceed, the integration aspect becomes even surer, and by the time No. 14 comes along, the orchestra is wonderfully warm. Concerto No. 3 is perhaps the point at which the magic really begins to take. From its elegant start, with solo and cello parts, to its brilliant final Gavotte, the texture is always interesting and the playing alive. Number 4 has some subtle and welcome pizzicato in the accompaniment and what sounds like a stowaway harp in the Andante. It bobs up again in No. 5—and then, lo and behold, takes the place of the organ in No. 6, with charm, precision and warmth. The harpist is Ursula Holliger playing a baroque harp of c1780. Number 14 is first class on all counts, and well balanced. Simon Preston maintains throughout a lively presentation, despite the production disadvantage mentioned earlier, and his ad lib, sections are always apt and interesting.

My personal preferences in no way detract from the quality of his achivement. Op. 7 contains more surprises than Op. 4 and some heart-warming moments when you would least expect them. For example, the Minuet and Gavotte at the end of No. 11, scored for orchestra alone (a strange way to end an organ concerto, you may think) turn out to be two of the most delightful movements Handel ever wrote, certainly the way they are played by the English Concert. Another aspect of this second set, well served in this recording, is the amount of ad lib. playing required of the soloist. Apart from cadenzas and random effusions from time to time, Handel twice indicates the need for an Adagio e fuga—in No. 9 and 15. The composer was giving the instruction to himself. It is another matter when someone else has to pick up the threads. Simon Preston's improvisations are completely assured and beautifully worked, with individual touches and part-playing of a high order. I cannot praise enough the disciplined eagerness of The English Concert. They bring out all the fresh joy of Handel's music and their observations of his forte and piano contrasts make this device sound as though it had never been done before.

Op. 7 was recorded at St John's, Armitage in Staffordshire, whose organ was built by Samuel Green in 1789-91. It comes into its own in Concerto No. 10, its solemnity mingling fraternally with two cellos and two bassoons in a deliberately learned conversation designed to make the brilliance of the subsequent D major movement all the more startling. Before the final movement, Simon Preston improvises a fugue, with pedals. His use of cornet solos, especially in the Ground Bass movement of No. 11 is very effective, but the organ occasionally produces some sour notes (the ad lib. fugue in No. 15 suffers from this). As I mentioned above, I would have liked the organ brighter and further forward, but this is a personal opinion and is not meant to diminish my warm feeling for this distinguished set.' --- Gramophone 10/1984

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CD1
1. Solomon HWV 67 - Overture	English Baroque Soloists	5:09	
2. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Your harps and cymbals"	Monteverdi Choir	3:17	
3. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Praise ye the Lord "	Stephen Varcoe		4:46
4. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " With pious heart "	Monteverdi Choir	4:40	
5. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Almighty Power "	Carolyn Watkinson	2:57
6. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Imperial Solomon" - " Sacred rapture "	Anthony Rolfe Johnson	4:49
7. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Throughout the land "	Monteverdi Choir	3:29
8. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Bless'd be the Lord " - " What though I trace "Carolyn Watkinson	7:00
9. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " And see my Queen "	Carolyn Watkinson	0:44
10. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Bless'd the day "	Nancy Argenta	4:45
11. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " Thou fair inhabitant" - "Welcome as the dawn of day"	Carolyn Watkinson	3:58
12. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " My blooming fair" - " Haste, haste "	Carolyn Watkinson	3:22
13. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " When thou art absent" - " With thee th'unshelter "	Nancy Argenta	2:21
14. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 1 - " May no rash intruder "	Monteverdi Choir	3:16
15. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " From the censer "	Monteverdi Choir	5:10
16. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Prais'd be the Lord" - " When the sun "	Carolyn Watkinson	5:10
17. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Great prince " - " Thrice bless'd "	Stephen Varcoe	3:41	

CD2
1. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " My sovereign liege "	Carolyn Watkinson	1:53	
2. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Thou son of David " - " Words are weak "	Joan Rodgers	5:35
3. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " What says the other " - " Thy sentence, great king" Della Jones	3:28
4. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Withhold the executing hand" - " Can I see my infant gor'd"	Joan Rodgers	4:23
5. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Israel' attend "	Carolyn Watkinson	1:18	
6. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Thrice bless'd be the king "	Joan Rodgers	3:58
7. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " From the east unto the west "	Monteverdi Choir	2:28	
8. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " No more shall armed bands" - " Beneath the vine " Joan Rodgers	6:23
9. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 2 - " Swell, swell the full chorus "	Monteverdi Choir	2:43
10. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba  English Baroque Soloists	3:01
11. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " From Arabia's spicy shores "	Barbara Hendricks	1:25	
12. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Sweep, sweep the string" - " Music, spread thy voice	Carolyn Watkinson	3:34
13. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Now a diff'rent measure" - " Shake the dome "	Carolyn Watkinson	1:46	
14. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Then at once from rage" - " Draw the tear "	Carolyn Watkinson	3:20
15. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Next the tortur'd soul" - " Thus rolling surges rises "	Carolyn Watkinson	3:39
16. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Thy harmony's divine "	Barbara Hendricks	0:58	
17. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Thrice happy king " - " Golden columns "	Anthony Rolfe Johnson	3:58	
18. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " May peace in Salem ever dwell" - " Will the sun for- get to streak "	Barbara Hendricks	5:54	
19. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Adieu, fair queen" - " Ev'ry joy that wisdom knows"	Barbara Hendricks	3:01
20. Solomon HWV 67 / Act 3 - " Praise the Lord "	Monteverdi Choir	4:39

Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Tenor)
Carolyn Watkinson (Alto)
Nancy Argenta (Soprano),
Barbara Hendricks (Soprano)
Joan Rodgers (Mezzo Soprano)
Stephen Varcoe (Bass),
Della Jones (Mezzo Soprano)
English Baroque Soloists,  Monteverdi Choir
John Eliot Gardiner - conductor

Acts I and III of this oratorio are sumptuous pageants: Solomon on the throne with his adoring Queen; Solomon receives the Queen of Sheba. In between, Act II's depiction of Solomon's judgment (over the baby) is one of the finest dramatic scenes Handel wrote in any context. The First Harlot's fear, desperation, and gratitude, the Second Harlot's grief-crazed jealousy, Solomon's serene wisdom--all are smashingly portrayed by Handel and by Rodgers, Jones and Watkinson. Argenta's Queen is a girlish delight; the regal Hendricks as Sheba sounds quite comfortable among these Baroque specialists; Rolfe Johnson and Varcoe have two splendid arias each. The choir and orchestra--whether in the amorous "Nightingale" chorus, the sequence of pictorial numbers in Act III, or the stunning double choruses throughout--are magnificent. ---Matthew Westphal, amazon.com

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01-02. Cantata XX - Ahi, Nelle Sorte Umane HWV 179
Natalie Dessay/Véronique Gens
03-05. Cantata XVI - No, Di Voi Non Vo' Fidarmi HWV189
Laura Claycomb/Anna Maria Panzarella
06-09. Cantata 1a - Caro Autor Di Mia Doglia HWV182a
Patricia Petibon/Paul Agnew
09-11. Cantata XV - Quel Fior Che All'Alba Ride HWV192
Patricia Petibon/Anna Maria Panzarella
12-13. Cantata IX - Conservate, Raddoppiate HWV185
Juanita Lascarro/Brian Asawa
14-16. Cantata X - Tanti Strali Al Sen Mi Scocchi HWV197
Laura Claycomb/Sara Mingardo
17-19. Cantata V - Va Speme Infida HWV199
Laura Claycomb/Anna Maria Panzarella
20-22. Cantata VI - A Mirarvi Io Son Intento HWV 178
Patricia Petibon/Marijana Mijanovic
23-25. Cantata I - Sono Liete, Fortunate HWV 194
Natalie Dessay/Véronique Gens

Track listing
1. Ahi nelle sorti umane, cantata for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 179: Ahi, nelle sorte umane
2. Ahi nelle sorti umane, cantata for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 179: Ma le speranze vane
3. No, di voi non vo' fidarmi, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 189: No, di voi non vo' fidarmi
4. No, di voi non vo' fidarmi, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 189: Altra volta incatenarmi
5. No, di voi non vo' fidarmi, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 189: So per prova i vostri inganni
6. Caro autor di mia doglia, duet, HWV 182: Caro autor di mia doglia
7. Caro autor di mia doglia, duet, HWV 182: No, che d'altrui che di te
8. Caro autor di mia doglia, duet, HWV 182: Dagli amori flagellata
9. Quel fior ch'all'alba ride, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 192: Quel fior che all'alba ride   play
10. Quel fior ch'all'alba ride, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 192: E un fior la vita ancora
11. Quel fior ch'all'alba ride, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 192: L'occaso ha nell'aurora
12. Conservate, raddopiate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 185: Conservate, raddoppiate
13. Conservate, raddopiate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 185: Nodi voi, che gli stringeste
14. Tanti strali al sen mi scocci, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 197: Tanti strali al sen mi sc
15. Tanti strali al sen mi scocci, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 197: Ma se l'alma sempre geme
16. Tanti strali al sen mi scocci, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 197: Dunque annoda pur, ben mi
17. Va, speme infida, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 199: Va, speme infida                  play
18. Va, speme infida, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 199: Tu baldanzosa mi vai dicendo al core
19. Va, speme infida, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 199: Ma se mendace e vana
20. A mirarvi io son intento, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 178: A mirarvi io son intento
21. A mirarvi io son intento, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 178: Ma l'amor per mio tormento
22. A mirarvi io son intento, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 178: E vibrando in un baleno
23. Sono liete, fortunate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 194: Son liete, fortunate
24. Sono liete, fortunate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 194: Crudeltŕ nč lontananza
25. Sono liete, fortunate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 194: Non avran mi la possanza

Le Concert D`Astrée
dir. Emmanuelle Haïm

An enjoyable anthology of Handel’s Italian, and Italianate, vocal chamber music. The Virgin release, in which director Emmanuelle Haďm’s harpsichord and organ are supplemented by equally expert accompaniments from cellist Atsushi Sakaď and alternating lutanists Brian Feehan and Laura Mónica Pustilnik, gives top billing in its constellation of singers to Natalie Dessay and Véronique Gens, but this is slightly misleading, because those two first-magnitude stars sing only one piece, the first duet on the disc. Very splendidly they sing it, too. I am happy to add, however, that none of the other eight singers is in any way disgraced by juxtaposition with the two leading ladies of Baroque vocal brilliance. In addition to Patricia Petibon, Sara Mingardo, Brian Asawa, and Paul Agnew, all deservedly well-known in their own right, we are offered contributions by four other singers that I, at least, was previously unacquainted with—sopranos Laura Claycomb, Juanita Lascarro, and Anna Maria Panzarella, and alto Marijana Mijanovic—and every one of them deserves her or his place in such company.

The performers show a welcome willingness to take risks, as in the fearless phrasing of the final aria in Caro autor di mia doglia—a willingness I have noted with approval in Patricia Petibon’s singing before—though it might be thought that one or two fast tempos serve brilliance at the expense of expression. The forthright voicing, often with minimal vibrato, of Handel’s close-harmony writing produces some thrilling small-interval clashes. The selection of works, taken from widely separated periods in the composer’s career, is well judged, culminating in the powerful drama of the middle section in Sono liete, splendidly projected by Laura Claycomb and the sumptuous-toned Sara Mingardo. Altogether, this is a delectable recital, the different voices obviating any danger of tedium, and stylish embellishment adding a further layer of fascination to the whole.

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1. Enjoy the sweet Elysian grove (Alceste, Act IV)
2. Semele: Where'er you walk
3. Urne voi (Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Part I)     play
4. Forte e lieto (from Tamerlano)
5. Oh per me lieto, avventuroso giorno! (from Tamerlano)
6. Figlia mia (from Tamerlano)
7. Tu, spietato (from Tamerlano)
8. Samson: Total eclipse
9. Samson: Did love constrain thee?
10. Samson: Your charms to ruin led the way
11. Samson: Let but that spirit
12. Samson: Then shall I make Jehovah's glory known!            play
13. Thus when the sun from’s watry bed (Samson)
14. Fatto inferno…Pastorello d'un povero armento (from Rodelinda)
15. Esther: Tune your harps to cheerful strains
16. Heav'n smiles once more … (Jephtha, Act II, 2)
17. Jephtha: His mighty arm
18. Jephtha: Waft her, angels, through the skies
19. As steals the morn (from L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato)

Mark Padmore, tenor
Lucy Crowe, soprano
Robin Blaze, countertenor
Katharina Spreckelsen, oboe obbligato

The English Concert
Andrew Manze – director

Mark Padmore is a British tenor appearing in concerts, recitals, and opera. Born in London 8 March 1961, and raised in Canterbury, England, Padmore studied clarinet and piano prior to his gaining a choral scholarship to King's College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1982 with an honours degree in music. He was first recognised as a singer with potential by William Christie and Philippe Herreweghe, with whom he sang several pieces written by Bach. His operatic experience is well-rounded and extensive, performing songs from such operas as Don Giovanni, Jephtha, and Platée. He has performed at various festivals, including the Edinburgh Festival and the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.

Mark Padmore (ur. 8 marca 1961 w Londynie) – brytyjski tenor, ceniony jako wykonawca muzyki dawnej w nurcie wykonawstwa historycznego. Urodził się w Londynie. Uczył się gry na klarnecie i fortepianie. Edukację muzyczna ukończył w roku 1982. Współpracował z wybitnymi dyrygentami – Williamem Christie i Philippe Herreweghe z którymi dokonał nagrań muzyki barokowej. Występuje na festiwalach muzycznych - np. na Edinburgh Festival i na Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.

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CD1
1. Athalia / Act 1 – Sinfonia
2. Athalia / Act 1 - "Blooming virgins, spotless train"
3. Athalia / Act 1 - "The rising world Jehovah crown'd"
4. Athalia / Act 1 - "Tyrants would in impious throngs"
5. Athalia / Act 1 - "When he is in his wrath reveal'd"
6. Athalia / Act 1 - "Your sacred songs awhile forbear"
7. Athalia / Act 1 - "What scenes of horror round me rise!"	   play
8. Athalia / Act 1 - "The gods, who chosen blessings shed"	   play
9. Athalia / Act 1 - "Cheer her, O Baal"
10. Athalia / Act 1 - "Gentle airs, melodious strains!"
11. Athalia / Act 1 - "Softest sounds no more can ease me"	
12. Athalia / Act 1 - "The traitor if you there descry...My Josabeth!"
13. Athalia / Act 1 - "Faithful cares in vain extended"
14. Athalia / Act 1 - "Gloomy tyrants, we disdain"

CD2
1. Athalia / Act 2 - "The mighty pow'r"
2. Athalia / Act 2 - "Through the land so lovely blooming"	
3. Athalia / Act 2 - "Ah, canst thou but prove me!"
4. Athalia / Act 2 - "Will God, whose mercies ever flow"
5. Athalia / Act 2 - "My vengeance awakes me"
6. Athalia / Act 2 - "My spirits fail, I faint, I die!"
7. Athalia / Act 2 - "Cease thy anguish, smile once more"
8. Athalia / Act 2 - "The clouded scene begins to clear"
9. Athalia / Act 3 - "What sacred horrors shake my breast!" 
10. Athalia / Act 3 - "Unfold, great seer, what heav'n imparts"
11. Athalia / Act 3 - "Let harmony breathe soft around"
12. Athalia / Act 3 - "With firm united hearts"
13. Athalia / Act 3 - "Soothing tyrant, falsely smiling"
14. Athalia / Act 3 - "Around let acclamations ring"
15. Athalia / Act 3 - "Oppression, no longer I dread thee"
16. Athalia / Act 3 - "Hark! His thunders round me roll"    play
17. Athalia / Act 3 - "To darkness eternal"                 play
18. Athalia / Act 3 - "Now, Josabeth, thy fears are o'er!"
19. Athalia / Act 3 - "Give glory to his awful name"

Athalia - Joan Sutherland
Josabeth - Emma Kirkby
Joas - Aled Jones
Joad - James Bowman
Mathan - Anthony Rolfe-Johnson
Abner - David Thomas

The Academy of Ancient Music
Christopher Hogwood, 1987

This reissue of a classic Hogwood recording from 1985 brings to a new generation a rare rendition of one of Handel's earlier oratorios. It also introduces for a new generation the sound of Dame Joan Sutherland who, though at the end of her illustrious career, seems better cast as Athalia than in some of her other better known Handel parts. Here we have the Baalite queen Athalia (Sutherland), together with the apostate priest Mathan (a sublime Anthony Rolfe-Johnston), opposed by the high priest Joad (James Bowman), his wife Josabeth (Emma Kirkby) and their 'son' Joas (Aled Jones). Into the mix throw the Jewish army captain Abner (David Thomas) and you can be certain of excellent singing and interpretation of the texts. All is backed up by the very good all-male choir of New College Oxford.

One of only two recordings currently in circulation (Martini's one on Naxos has many faults), Gramophone are to be congratulated for pressing this to be reissued. The highlights are all of Emma Kirkby's arias, not to mention the contribution of Aled Jones about whom the BBC made a film at the time of this recording, and who included some of the footage of the original concert performance before Hogwood took to the studio.

A Handel completist would not wish to be without this issue - the casual admirer of good singing will find themselves drawn in to another world.

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01. Delirio amoroso HWV 099 : 01. Introduzione [0:04:50.78]
02. Recitativo : 02. Da quel giorno fatale [0:00:58.17]
03. Aria : 03. Un pensiero voli in ciel [0:09:07.48]
04. Recitativo : 04. Ma fermati, pensier [0:00:55.01]
05. Aria : 05. Per te lasciai la luce [0:09:38.52]
06. Recitativo : 06. Non ti bastava, ingrato [0:00:53.61]
07. Aria : 07. Lascia omai le brune vele [0:05:25.28]
08. Recitativo : 08. Ma siamo giunti in Lete [0:00:20.64]
09. 09. Entree [0:01:35.32]
10. Minuet : 10. In queste amene piagge serene [0:02:20.25]     play
11. Recitativo : Si disse Clori [0:00:20.94]
12. 12. Minuet [0:00:33.22]
13. Aci, Galateae Polifemo HWV 072 : Aria : Qui l'augel da pianta in pianta [0:11:08.38]
14. Mi palpita il cor HWV 132b : Adagio : 1. Mi palpita il cor [0:00:37.18]
15. Allegro : 2. Agitata e l'alma mia [0:00:37.38]
16. Recitativo : 3. Tormento e gelosia [0:00:39.42]
17. Aria : 4. Ho tanti affanni in petto [0:07:53.81]
18. Recitativo : 5. Clori, di te mi lagno [0:00:43.73]
19. Aria : 6. Se un di m'adora [0:03:24.62]                    play

Natalie Dessay : Soprano
Le Concert d'Astree
Emmanuelle Haim : Harpsichord, Direction

High-flying French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay has scored another triumph with this exquisite disc of three Italian Cantatas by George Frideric Handel.

As ideal in the romantic roles of Donizetti, Gounod, Strauss, and Offenbach as in the earlier music of Mozart, Monteverdi, and Handel, Dessay sings with a freedom and purity most sopranos only dream about. In tones intentionally shorn of pretentious operatic glamour, she sings with a direct, deeply felt sincerity rendered all the more miraculous for the freedom with which she negotiates Handel's torturous runs of emotionally-charged notes. Listen how, in the extended, 12-movement cantata Delirio amoroso, her voice soars to the stratosphere and then all over the emotional landscape on the words, "Let a thought fly up to heaven, if in heaven is that lovely soul who stole my peace of mind."

Expressing the feelings of an agitated woman "erratic in her thoughts, but always beautiful," Dessay's heartbreaking utterances are made all the more pathetic for the spring-like sweetness in which they are uttered. Equal credit goes to director Emmanuelle Haim, whose authentic instrument Le Concert d'Astree performs with rare, understated clarity. The transparency of the playing, with notes lightly touched as though by a zephyr, is irresistible. Accolades to violinist Stephanie-Marie Degand – to all the soloists, actually – for the virtuosity they display in their duets with Dessay.

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CD 1
1-8 Dixit Dominus (Salmo 109)
per 2 Soprani, Alto, Coro e Orchestra, HWV 232
9-16 Laudate pueri Dominum (Salmo 112)            play
per Soprano, Coro e Orchestra, HWV 237
17 Te decus virgineum (Antifona)
per Alto e Orchestra, HWV 243

CD 2
1-6 Nisi Dominus (Salmo 126)
per Alto, Tenore, Doppio Coro e Orchestra, HWV 238
7 Haec est Regina virginum (Antifona)
per Soprano e Orchestra, HWV 235
8-13 Saeviat tellus inter rigores (Mottetto per la Madonna Santissima del Carmine)
per Soprano e Orchestra, HWV 240
14-17 Salve Regina (Antifona)                     play
per Soprano, Organo concertante e Orchestra, HWV 241

Romina Basso, contralto
Maria Espada, soprano
Raffaella Milanesi, soprano
Paola Cigna, soprano

Collegium Apollineum
dir. Marco Feruglio

This reconstruction is not actually based on real evidences, rather it is a combination of some Handel's psalms, motets and antifonas written around the same time (the year 1707) and ordered in a way that resembles the Vespers practice of the time.

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Disc: 1
1. Alexander Balus: Act I: Ouverture
2. Alexander Balus: Act I: Chorus Asiates
3. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Alexander
4. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Jonathan
5. Alexander Balus: Act I: Flourish Of Trumpets
6. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Ptolomee
7. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Ptolomee
8. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Cleopatra
9. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Cleopatra
10. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Alexander
11. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Alexander		play
12. Alexander Balus: Act I: Chorus Asiates
13. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Alexander
14. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Alexander
15. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Cleopatra
16. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Cleopatra
17. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Cleopatra
18. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Aspasia
19. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Aspasia
20. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Cleopatra
21. Alexander Balus: Act I: Duet Cleopatra
22. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Jonathan
23. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Alexander
24. Alexander Balus: Act I: Recitative Jonathan
25. Alexander Balus: Act I: Air Jonathan
26. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Alexander
27. Alexander Balus: Act II: Recitative Jonathan
28. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Alexander
29. Alexander Balus: Act II: Recitative Sycophant Courtier
30. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Alexander
31. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Jonathan

Disc: 2
1. Alexander Balus: Act II: Chorus Israelites
2. Alexander Balus: Act II: Recitative Cleopatra
3. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Cleopatra
4. Alexander Balus: Act II: Recitative Aspasia
5. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Aspasia
6. Alexander Balus: Act II: Recitative Ptolomee
7. Alexander Balus: Act II: Air Ptolomee
8. Alexander Balus: Act II: Accompagnato Jonathan
9. Alexander Balus: Act II: Soli - Chorus
10. Alexander Balus: Act II: Recitative Alexander
11. Alexander Balus: Act II: Duet Alexander - Cleopatra
12. Alexander Balus: Act II: Chorus Asiates
13. Alexander Balus: Act III: Sinfonia
14. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Cleopatra
15. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Cleopatra
16. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Alexander
17. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Alexander
18. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Jonathan
19. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Alexander
20. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Aspasia
21. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Aspasia
22. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Jonathan
23. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Jonathan
24. Alexander Balus: Act III: Chorus Israelites
25. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Ptolomee
26. Alexander Balus: Act III: Accompagnato Ptolomee
27. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Ptolomee
28. Alexander Balus: Act III: Accompagnato Cleopatra
29. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Messenger
30. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Cleopatra
31. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Second Messenger
32. Alexander Balus: Act III: Accompagnato Cleopatra
33. Alexander Balus: Act III: Air Cleopatra		play
34. Alexander Balus: Act III: Recitative Jonathan
35. Alexander Balus: Act III: Chorus Jonathan - Israelites

Catherine Denley, mezzo-soprano (Alexander Balus)
Michael George, bass (Ptolomee)
Charles Daniels, tenor (Jonathan)
Lynne Dawson, soprano (Cleopatra)
Claron McFadden, soprano (Aspasia)

Choir of New College Oxford
Choir of The King's Consort
The King's Consort
Robert King - director

Alexander Balus dates from 1747, by which time the threat from Bonnie Prince Charlie to the Hanoverian monarchy had been well and truly suppressed. It has only faint echoes of the anxious and defensive bellicosity that we find in Judas Maccabaeus, Joshua and especially The Occasional Oratorio. Mr impresario Handel and his librettist the Rev Morell were really back to business as usual following the jingoistic Occasional Oratorio, although it may be that they felt a commercial need to revert to greater militarism, and accordingly did so in Joshua, written just afterwards.

Morell's text is based on the First Book of Maccabees. It differs from most of the oratorios in keeping the chorus mainly to a role of setting the scene and summing up at the end of each act or scene, much as in Hercules. There is little overt drama or action until near the end of act II, but the golden flow of Handel's infinite musical inspiration keeps me mesmerised all the way. He displays a formidable box of instrumental tricks in Cleopatra's long aria `Hark! Hark! He strikes the golden lyre', but this is only one in a glorious series of solos until a new note is introduced with the attempt by the Sycophant Courtier to sow discord, after which the general tone becomes not only more varied but more solemn. The chorus `O calumny' that ends act II scene 1 is a very different proposition from the magnificent earlier choruses, and Jonathan's aria `To God who made the radiant sun', and later Cleopatra's `O take me from this hateful light' are among the most awesome that Handel or any man ever conceived.

The part of Balus is an alto part, sung here by Catherine Denley. She handles it very well indeed, but the really striking roles are those of the Israelite prince Jonathan and the Egyptian Ptolemy's daughter Cleopatra, superbly put across by Charles Daniels and Lynne Dawson. In fact all five principals are excellent, pure in tone and impeccable in intonation, and so are the three minor parts sung by members of the choir of the King's Consort. The choirs have boy trebles and altos, and their tone is strong, contributing due weight to Handel's choral writing, incomparably the greatest there can ever have been. The instrumentalists are eminent specialists performing to the peak of their talent, and the recorded sound, from 1997, is beyond criticism.

As usual with Robert King's productions, he contributes his own admirable liner note, and both this and the libretto have translations into French and German. He does not actually tell us why the Israelite princes are invoking Mithra in the early stages of the work, but this theological aberration is explained and put right in the sublime aria for Jonathan that I mentioned above, in which Jehovah is restored to his rightful place.

We have the opportunity now to restore Handel to his rightful place also, and my bewilderment at how this supereminent musical creator ever sank below the horizon as he did is only matched by my relief at having lived through the age that is rectifying the matter. Before long my collection of his oratorios will be complete, and that is a project I would like to exhort as many as possible to join me in. There are 17 of them on my counting, which is the `best' I would not know how to assess, but if, say, 13 or 14 of them are equal first this would be one of the 13 or 14. --- DAVID BRYSON (Glossop Derbyshire England)

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0. Commentary by Marcin Majchrowski (polish language)  0 – 10.02
1. Admeto Re di Tessaglia  	Part I			10.03 – 1.59.00
2. Interview with Alan Curtis				2.00.00 – 2.25.42
3. Admeto Re di Tessaglia  	Part II			2.25.43 – 3.30.57

Sonia Prina – contralto (Admeto), 
Josè Maria Lo Monaco – mezzosoprano (Alceste), 
Emőke Baráth – soprano (Antigona), 
Luigi De Donato – bass (Ercole), 
Romina Basso – contralto (Trasimede), 
Gianluca Buratto – bass (Meraspe), 
Il Complesso Barocco
Alan Curtis - conductor

2014.02.20, Cracov, Poland
Broadcast, Polish Radio 2

Haendel’s Admeto, re di Tessaglia (“Admetus, King of Thessaly”) has inaugurated this year’s edition of the Opera Rara festival. Krakow will play host to the lovers of period music from Poland and abroad.

Admeto was another opera of Handel's in which the composer and librettist had to write for two equal leading ladies. The subject matter is different than any of Handel's other operas written for the Academy. Instead of an historical plot, Handel wrote an opera based on a mythological subject. There is plenty of opportunity for spectacle in the libretto. There is a sleep scene, a hell scene, a pastoral symphony, impressive variety, and incredible music. The very first scene is often compared with Gluck's Orfeo for the treatment of its subject matter, which is that of a deranged and raving king tortured by the furies. The characterizations of the lead women are masterful, well-rounded, and dramatically powerful. The opera was very successful, and played to full houses for a total of eight performances its initial run.

The libretto to Admeto is based on Ortensio Mauro's L'Alceste, and thought to be by Rolli for a variety of reasons. Rolli was a better versifier than Haym, but he had no sense of visual dramatics. He very often did not write scene changes, stage directions, and he left characters stranded on stage. Handel's imagination was such that he was inspired by an opera's setting and dramatic action; he and Rolli were not the best collaborative team for that reason. However, in this opera, Handel rises above his limitations and produces some fine, electrifying music. The setting of the original libretto by Mauro was performed in Hanover and known to King George I, as was the original version of Alessandro. The choice of two Hanoverian operas was meant as an act of homage to the King. ---Rovi

"Admet, król Tesalii" ("Admeto, re di Tessaglia"), opera w trzech aktach Jerzego Fryderyka Händla napisana dla Royal Academy of Music, stowarzyszenia arystokratów dbającego o rozwój i dostarczanie repertuaru operowego.

Prapremiera "Admeta" - w londyńskim King’s Theatre 31 stycznia 1727 roku - okazała się ostatnim sukcesem pierwszej Akademii Królewskiej i wznawiana była wielokrotnie za życia kompozytora, także poza granicami Anglii. W samym roku śmierci Händla (1754) wystawiona została pięciokrotnie, później na bez mała dwa stulecia zniknęła ze scen, by wrócić w roku 1925 w Brunszwiku i przeżyć swój współczesny renesans.

Libretto zostało napisane w języku włoskim na podstawie dwóch wcześniejszych tekstów: Aurelia Aurelego do opery "L’Antigona delusa da Alceste" (Wenecja, 1660) oraz adaptacji tegoż autorstwa Ortensia Mauro ("L’Alceste", Hanower 1679-81), całość wywiedziona jest także z tragedii Eurypidesa "Alkestis". Atrybucja "Admeta" jest niepewna, wskazuje się tutaj Niccolò Francesca Hayna związanego z Akademią Królewską, dowodząc jego kunsztu widocznego w dziele. ---polskieradio.pl

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1. Messiah				2:19:15

Marie-Sophie Pollak – soprano
Raffaele Pe – alto
Krystian Adam – tenor
Krešimir Stražanac – bass
Collegium Vocale 1704
Collegium 1704
Václav Luks – conductor

22 mars 2016, Rudolfinum, Prague

The Messiah is an iconic work not only among Handel’s own compositions. For generations of composers and listeners, it has become the archetype of the oratorio genre. Despite its triumphal first performance in Dublin in 1742, the Messiah had to struggle to win over London audiences. Not until 1750 did it become a regular part of the charity concerts for the Foundling Hospital. The humanist message of the work then became the basis of Handel’s quickly spreading, almost mass, fame.

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