Handel - The Masterworks 30 CDs [2009]
Classical | EAC Rip | FLAC, IMG+CUE, LOG | Scans | DECCA | 478 1190 | 30(1-11)cd, 3691.29 MB
I do think that this Decca set is arguably the best compilation reissue of such a bulk of Handel work which has been released in a long time, just in time to commemorate the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the passing of il caro Sassone. There is a lot in this box, absence of libretti notwithstanding. The enclosed booklet is essential to navigate you through the track listings and timings and little else but a small general essay on GFH.
There are many who love classical music, baroque in particular, Handel still more particularly, who never get much further in their collections in most of their lives than acquiring Messiah, and that is a shame, beautiful and spiritually uplifting as Messiah is. It was one of the first things I purchased back when I was collecting records long ago. I think that there are very few Handel fans who would stop with buying just one Messiah. The added bonus to this set is that there is a Messiah here. Even before I purchased this Handel box I had six on CD, including the Shaw-ASO on Telarc, Pinnock and McCreesh on Arkiv, Somary on Vanguard, and a Mackerras conducting it in German, as re orchestrated by Mozart himself. There is more in this box set which can be purchased for such a relatively small sum than the Handel with which most people grow familiar in their whole lifetime, and the box set is a generous sampling of early through latter Handel.
Half of the box is digitally recorded, about a little more than half remastered from analog recordings. The first eleven disks in the box contains the instrumental Handel: Water Music, Fireworks, the Concerti Grossi Op. 3 and Op. 6, the eighteen Organ Concertos, three Oboe Concertos Op. 3, three Concerti a dui cori, an instrumental excerpt from the oratorio Solomon, six Trio Sonatas Op. 2, and Flute Sonatas. The rest of the set are the vocal works: Messiah, Marriner conducting a good analog version; Israel in Egypt; Coronation Anthems; Dixit Dominus; what for me was a previously unheard Nisi Dominus and Salve Regina; Dettingen Te Deum; Ode to St. Cecilia's Day; the music drama Hercules; an analog Judas Maccabeus, which was excellently done and comparable in quality to the Somary Vanguard recording I have; an almost perfect digital Solomon; and the only opera in the set, a relative recently performed Giulio Cesare. Handel opera lovers will be disappointed with the lack of depth here with inclusion of but one of the forty operas. Maybe Decca might have or ought to have included their Bartoli Rinaldo here as well. A Radamisto, or an Agrippina, a Deidamea to see the master in his operatic oblivion prior to his resurrection with oratorio, then it could have been a set of more operatic substance, a snack anyway. If you want a Handel operatic meal, you'll have to satisfy that appetite elsewhere apart from this set and a la carte to the tune of thirty or forty dollars apiece for the remainder of Handel`s oeurve. Aside from Messiah, Judas, Hercules, and Solomon, others who have deep and wide Handel collections would love to see still more works included here. A Saul, perhaps; a Samson, written the same year as Messiah; Theodora, Handel's next to last oratorio, and a very good one; definitely Jeptha, if but to get a glimpse at the composer in his decline but still being capable of composing sublime work nonetheless. Others will argue for a Joshua, an Esther, Athalia or a Deborah with reasons equally convincing. If Decca had included all of these suggestions here alone, there would have been another thirty disks included as a sprawling appendix doubly priced to what I am reviewing, and we would not have scratched the surface of the rest of Handel's work, which amounts to the girth of both J.S. Bach and Beethoven combined.
But as I don't think that there will be a Brilliant Complete Handel Edition with what might have been, a two hundred fifty disk megalith put out and issued any time soon, much less in my lifetime, this box set is the next best thing. The Handel which I had in my collection previous to it was rather extensive, much more than Messiah and Water Music, and with this set, about a third of it was new material for my collection, so the investment was well worth it.By John Van Note
Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks & Water Music (Sir Neville Marriner)
CD1 (478 1191): 62’59
Performer:
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Conductor - Sir Neville Marriner
Tracklisting:
01. Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV351: I. Ouverture
02. II. Bourree
03. III. La Paix
04. IV. La Rejouissance
05. V. Minuet
06. Water Music Suite in G major, HWV348: I. Minuet
07. II. Rigaudon I and II
08. III. Gigue
09. Water Music Suite in D major, HWV349: I. Prelude
10. II. Hornpipe
11. III. Minuet
12. IV. Lentement
13. V. Bourree
14. Water Music Suite in F major, HWV350: I. Ouverture
15. II. Adagio e staccato
16. III. Hornpipe and Andante
17. IV. Jig
18. V. Air
19. VI. Minuet
20. VII. Bourree and Hornpipe
21. VIII. Gavotte
Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks & Water Music (Sir Neville Marriner)
CD2 (478 1192): 76’09; CD3 (478 1193): 71’32; CD4 (478 1194): 71’24
Performer:
Thurston Dart, harpsichord
Andrew Davis, organ
George Malcolm, organ and harpsichord
Stanislav Heller, organ (HWV 317)
Roger Lord, Michael Dobson, oboes
Richard Adeney, Richard Taylor, flutes
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Conductor - Sir Neville Marriner
Tracklisting:
CD2
01. No. 1 in G major, HWV 319
02. No. 2 in F major, HWV 320
03. No. 3 in E minor, HWV 321
04. No. 4 in A minor, HWV 322
05. No. 5 in D major, HWV 323
06. No. 6 in G minor, HWV 324
CD3
01. No. 7 in B flat major, HWV 325
02. No. 8 in C minor, HWV 326
03. No. 9 in F major, HWV 327
04. No. 10 in D minor, HWV 328
05. No. 11 in A major, HWV 329
CD4
01. Concerto grosso op.6, No. 12 in B minor, HWV 330
02. Concerto grosso op.3, No.1 in B flat major, HWV 312
03. Concerto grosso op.3 No.2 in B flat major, HWV 313
04. Concerto grosso op.3 No.3 in G major, HWV 314
05. Concerto grosso op.3 No.4 in F major, HWV 315
06. Concerto grosso op.3 No.5 in D minor, HWV 316
07. Concerto grosso op.3 No.6 in D major, HWV 317
Handel – 6 Organ Concertos op.7 (3rd Set, 1761); op.4 (1st Set, 1738); Oboe Concertos; Concerti a due cori
CD5 (478 1195): 72’46; CD6 (478 1196): 73’34; CD7 (478 1197): 76’38; CD8 (478 1198): 73’17
Performer:
George Malcolm, organ and harpsichord
Roger Lord, oboe
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Conductor - Sir Neville Marriner
Thurston Dart, harpsichord
Philomusica of London
Conductor – Granville Jones
The Academy of Ancient Music
Conductor - Christopher Hogwood
Tracklisting:
CD5
01. No.1 in B flat major, HWV 306: I. Andante
02. II. Passacaglia: Andante
03. III. Largo e piano
04. IV. Bourree: Allegro
05. No.2 in A major, HWV 307: I. Ouverture
06. II. A tempo ordinario
07. III. Adagio (organo ad libitum)
08. IV. Allegro
09. No.3 in B flat major, HWV 308: I. Allegro
10. II. Adagio e fuga (organo ad libitum)
11. III. Spiritoso
12. IV. Menuett
13. No.4 in D minor, HWV 309: I. Adagio
14. II. Allegro
15. III. Adagio (organo ad libitum)
16. IV. Allegro
17. No.5 in G minor, HWV 310: I. Allegro, ma non troppo, e staccato
18. II. Andante larghetto, e staccato
19. III. Menuett
CD6
01. Op.7 No.6 in B flat major, HWV 311: I. Pomposo
02. II. A tempo ordinario
03. Op.4 No.1 in G minor, HWV 289: I. Larghetto e staccato
04. II. Allegro
05. III. Adagio - Andante
06. Op.4 No.2 in B flat major, HWV 290: I. A tempo ordinario e staccato - Allegro
07. II. Adagio e staccato - Allegro ma non presto
08. Op.4 No.3 in G minor, HWV 291: I. Adagio
09. II. Allegro
10. III. Adagio - Gavotte - Allegro
11. Op.4 No.4 in F major, HWV 292: I. Introduction
12. II. Allegro
13. III. Andante
14. IV. Adagio - Allegro
15. Op.4 No.5 in F major, HWV 293: I. Larghetto
16. II. Allegro
17. III. Alla siciliana
18. IV. Presto
19. Op.4 No.6 in B flat major, HWV 294: I. Andante - Allegro
20. II. Larghetto
21. III. Allegro moderato
CD7
01 Sonata: Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno
02 Organ Concerto No. 13 in F major, HWV 295: I. Larghetto
03 II. Allegro
04 III. Organ ad libitum
05 IV. Larghetto
06 V. Allegro
07 Organ Concerto No. 14 in A major, HWV 296: I. Largo e staccato
08 II. Organo ad libitum
09 III. Andante
10 IV. Grave
11 V. Allegro
12 Organ Concerto No. 15 in D minor, HWV 304: I. Andante
13 II. (Organ adagio e fuga allegro)
14 III. Allegro
15 Organ Concerto No. 16 in F major, HWV 305: I. Ouverture
16 II. Allegro
17 III. Allegro ma non troppo
18 IV. Adagio
19 V. Andante
20 VI. Allegro
21 Oboe Concerto Op. 3 No. 1 in B flat major, HWV 301
22 Oboe Concerto Op. 3 No. 2a in B flat major, HWV 302a
23 Largo in F major, HWV 302b
CD8
01 Oboe Concerto No. 3 in G minor, HWV 287
02 Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (from Solomon)
03 Concerto grosso in C major, HWV 318 'Alexander's Feast': I. Allegro
04 II. Adagio
05 III. Allegro
06 IV. Andante non presto
07 Concerto a due cori No. 1 in B flat major, HWV 332: I. Ouverture
08 II. Allegro ma non troppo
09 III. Allegro
10 IV. Largo
11 V. A tempo ordinario
12 VI. Alla breve moderato
13 VII. Minuet
14 Concerto a due cori No. 2 in F major, HWV 333: I. Pomposo
15 II. Allegro
16 III. A tempo giusto
17 IV. Largo
18 V. Allegro ma non troppo
19 VI. A tempo ordinario
20 Concerto a due cori No. 3 in F major, HWV 334: I. Ouverture
21 II. Allegro
22 III. Allegro ma non troppo
23 IV. Adagio
24 V. Andante larghetto
25 VI. Allegro
Handel – Trio Sonatas, op.2 & Flutes Sonatas
CD9 (478 1199): 43’51; CD10 (478 1200): 44’30; CD11 (478 1201): 46’26
Performer:
William Bennett, Trevor Wye - flutes
Kenneth Sillito, Malcolm Latchem - violin
George Malcolm, Alan Cuckston - harpsichord
Denis Vigay, cello
Tracklisting:
CD9
01. No.1 in B minor, HWV 386b: I. Andante - Adagio
02. II. Allegro ma non troppo
03. III. Largo
04. IV. Allegro
05. No.2 in G minor, HWV 387: I. Andante
06. II. Allegro
07. III. Largo
08. IV. Allegro
09. No.3 in B flat major, HWV 388: I. Andante - Adagio
10. II. Allegro
11. III. Larghetto
12. IV. Allegro
13. No.4 in F major, HWV 389: I. Larghetto
14. II. Allegro
15. III. Adagio
16. IV. Allegro
17. V. Allegro
CD10
01. No.5 in G minor, HWV 390a: I. Larghetto - Adagio
02. II. Allegro
03. III. Adagio
04. IV. Allegro
05. No.6 in G minor, HWV 391: I. Andante - Allegro
06. II. Arioso
07. III. Allegro
08. Trio Sonata in F major, HWV 392: I. Andante
09. II. Allegro
10. III. Adagio
11. IV. Allegro
12. Trio Sonata in G minor, HWV 393: I. Andante
13. II. Allegro
14. III. Largo
15. IV. Allegro
CD11
01. Flute Sonata in A minor, HWV 374 'Halle' No.1: I. Adagio
02. II. Allegro
03. III. Adagio
04. IV. Allegro
05. Flute Sonata in E minor, HWV 375 'Halle' No.2: I. Adagio
06. II. Allegro
07. III. Grave
08. IV. Minuet
09. Flute Sonata in B minor, HWV 376 'Halle' No.3: I. Adagio
10. II. Allegro
11. III. Largo
12. IV. Allegro
13. Flute Sonata in E minor, HWV 379: I. Larghetto - Adagio
14. II. Andante
15. III. Largo
16. IV. Allegro
17. V. Presto
18. Flute Sonata in D major, HWV 378: I. Adagio
19. II. Allegro
20. III. Adagio
21. IV. Allegro