George Frideric Handel - La Resurrezione (Minkowski) [2006]

CD1
1. Premiere Partie : Sonata 
2. Scene 1 : Disserratevi O Porte D'averno 
3. Qual Insolita Luce 
4. Caddi E Ver Ma Nel Cadere 
5. Ma Che Veggio ? 
6. Chi Sei ? Chi E Questo Re ? 
7. D'amor Fu Consiglio 
8. E Ben Questo Tuo Nume 
9. O Voi 
10. Scene 2 : Notte Notte Funesta 
11. Ferma L'ali E Sui Miei Lumi 
12. Concedi O Maddalena 
13. Piangete Si Piangete 
14. Ahi Dolce Mio Signore 
15. Dolci Chiodi Amate Spine 
16. O Cleofe O Madalena 
17. Quando E Parto Dell'affetto 
18. Ma Dinne E Sara Vero 
19. Naufragando Va Per L'onde 
20. Itene Pure O Fide 
21. Cosi La Tortorella 
22. Se Maria Dunque Spera 
23. Ho Un Non So Che Nel Cor 
24. Scene 3 : Uscite Pur Uscite 
25. Il Nume Vincitor

CD2
1. Deuxieme Partie : Introduzione
2. Scene 1 : Di Quai Nuovi Portenti
3. Ecco Il Solch'esce Dal Mar
4. Ma Ove Maria Dimora
5. Scene 2 : Risorga Il Mondo
6. Di Rabbia Endarno Freme
7. Misero Ho Pure Udito
8. Per Celare Il Nuovo Scorno
9. O Come Cieco Il Tuo Furor Delira
10. Imperdirlo Io Sapro
11. Scene 3 : Amica Troppo Tardo
12. Per Me Gia Di Morire
13. Ahi Abborrito Nome
14. Scene 4 : Vedo Il Ciel Che Sereno
15. Cleofe Siam Giunte Al Luogo
16. Se Per Colpa Di Donna Infelice
17. Mio Gesu Mio Segnore
18. Del Ciglioo Dolente
19. Si Si Cerchiamo Pure
20. Augelletti Ruscelleti
21. Scene 5 : Dove Si Frettolosi
22. Caro Figlio
23. Cleofe Giovani Udite
24. Se Impassible Immortale
25. Si Si Col Redentore
26. Diasi Lode In Cielo In Terra

Annick Massis - soprano
Jennifer Smith - soprano
Linda Maguire - mezzo-soprano
John Mark Ainsley - tenor
Laurent Naouri – bass

Les Musiciens du Louvre (on authentic instruments)
Marc Minkowski – conductor

Recorded at a performance in the Salle Wagram, Paris in April 1995.

La Resurrezione is one of Handel's most underrated, or at any rate most underperformed, works. Like so much of the music he wrote in Italy — the prime example is of course the Dixit Dominus—it is full of bold and striking new ideas, with melodic lines and basses that do all sorts of unexpected things and orchestration that explores the expressive power of colour in new ways. Every time! hear it I am startled afresh by this manifestation of a young composer stretching his musical limbs. Marquis Ruspoli, who commissioned it and put it on lavishly in his Roman palace at Easter 1708, must have been delighted.

I think he would have relished much about this performance. Marc Minkowski, as always, directs with plenty of spirit, with light-footed rhythms and on the whole quickish tempos. Sometimes too much so: several of the fast numbers are just a shade too fast for comfort and for the music to be properly articulated (as in the Angel's first aria and Cleophas's shipwreck simile aria) — and conversely he occasionally sets a tempo so drawn out in slower numbers (St John's first aria, Cleophas's "Piangete") that the music has too little movement. In short, he over-uses tempo as a device to strengthen the expression and it doesn't always work.

I also have some doubts about his continuo practices. It is acceptable to use the viola da gamba to supply the harmonies with multiple stopping in appropriate contexts, and in the recitative Minkowski effectively uses different textures for participants in dialogue; but in several arias he inexplicably uses what you might call the `Polo style', with a great big hole in the middle between voice and bass. I find it ugly and unstylish, especially in such a number as St John's first aria in Part 2, with its busy, repetitive bass, and long for some rich harmonic filling. Still, this is a small point; and if there is some textual justification that has escaped me, that doesn't make it sound better.

Outstanding among an excellent cast is John Mark Ainsley, who provides a graceful, shapely and sweet-toned St John — listen to how he floats the voice in the aria I have already mentioned, or to his expressive warmth in the lovely G minor piece near the end of Part 1 with flute, viol and theorbo ("Cosi la tortorella"). The Lucifer, Laurent Naouri, is impressive for his taut and strongly focused singing; a lean voice like this is well suited to the diabolical fulminations Handel calls for. A bright and lively Angel is provided by Annick Massis, fluent in the divisions and effective in the wilful lines of "D'amor fu c,onsiglio". Linda Maguire's Cleophas is sung with evenness and depth of tone and there is no want of brilliance in the rapid music of the shipwreck aria. As Magdalene, Jennifer Smith excels in the lovely sleep aria in Part 1 (with recorders, viol and muted violins) and again in "Per me gia di morire", which provides the expressive climax of Part 2, with its wailing flutes and solo violin and viol. All the singers provide some ornamentation in the da capo sections although sometimes their idea of ornamentation is too close to a simple rewriting that is neither ornamental nor an improvement on the original. Minkowski's, then, is a vital and appealing account of this fine work although I have to say that it does not seem to me to represent, except in the singing of John Mark Ainsley, a significant improvement on the several admirable earlier recordings.

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