| Site review by Southern SACD Fan October 8, 2007
|
Performance: Sonics (S): |
This is a very enjoyable recording of Concerti Grossi op 3 by Handel. The tunes are less sophisticated than some of Handel's later compositions, and in other cases (as Handel is well known for) the tunes are the same as in later compositions! Musically there is a freshness and vitality here which I found very enjoyable.
The playing is up to a very high standard and this is complimented with good recording that shows good separation of instruments. I particularly enjoyed the woodwind tones. At a CD level I would rate this recording more highly than several others that I have heard, so it is a no brainer to buy it as it is a SACD!
Overall, a very enjoyable disk.
|
Copyright © 2007 Matthew Strack and SA-CD.net
|
|
|
| Site review by Geohominid April 9, 2008
|
Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Don't be deceived by the low opus number - this is mature Handel, caught around 1730 in the sudden lack of interest in his famous Italian opera series. Instrumental music was still profitable, so he set about compiling these concerti with material from his Chandos Anthems, his first oratorios and the opera Ottone. Always the great self-borrower, he was able to present these extracts together with new music in an attractive and varied set. The orchestration shows his customary brilliance, with a range of instruments including organ, archlute, guitar, recorders, flutes as well as the normal oboes and strings.
The first concerto has a slow movement which is a tiny masterpiece, rivalling the most intimate of JS Bach's self-communing ariosos; the third is a Corelli-inspired concerto for flute and violin, the fourth launches into the French style, all trills and dotted rhythms, making you think you are in Versailles.
Egarr and the period instrument Academy of Ancient Music (the original of which counted Handel as a member) propel this mostly sunny music with pure joy; the playing is full of character and wit, and the recording richly sonorous and transparent. I could listen to this disc all day and never tire of it; if you are allergic to period strings, have no fear, the AAM are as sweet and sure on their gut strings as could be wanted, and tuning is very good between wind soloists and strings.
This disc is in competition with the set by Combattimento Consort of Amsterdam, directed by Jan Willein de Vriend (Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 3 - Combattimento Consort Amsterdam). It is also played with great verve and skill, a little faster and with more edge in a similarly excellent DSD recording, perhaps a little closer. The choice is mainly of temperament. You can have the Full English Breakfast with Egarr, or a Continental Breakfast of strong coffee and chocolate croissants with de Vriend. Egarr gives us an extra work, a 5-part Sonata (HWV 288). The choice is yours, neither will disappoint. If you can afford both, then you will realise that you can never have enough Handel. Opus 3 offers humane, civilised and delectable entertainment in both performances, exactly what Handel intended.
|
Copyright © 2008 John Miller and SA-CD.net
|
|
|
| Review by JJ May 28, 2007 (1 of 4 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Enregistrer aujourd'hui les Concerti Grossi Op. 3 de Haendel semble toujours être un casse tête pour les musiciens musicologues car, comme le dit justement Richard Egarr, " Contrairement aux Concerti Grossi de l'opus 6, plus tardifs, il n'existe aucun manuscrit autographe complet des Concertos de l'opus 3. Les musicologues ont donc enfanté une version "Urtext", sorte d'hybride à la Frankenstein, par recoupements avec certains mouvements survivants de compositions antérieures. A l'évidence, ces Concertos ont été réunis par "bricolage" ". Publiés en 1734, les six Concerti Grossi Op. 3 font la part belle au hautbois que le compositeur plonge dans un bain de couleurs et d'inventivité mélodique uniques. Le premier concerto exploite les vents avec nuances et spontanéité. Et alors que le second met en évidence les cordes, le troisième laisse de côté la flûte pour le hautbois, selon le choix proposé par le compositeur dans cette partition. Le sixième et dernier, en deux mouvements, fait intervenir l'orgue. Et le programme se clôt avec une splendide Sonate à 5 HWV 288 pour clavecin et violon solo. Pour son premier enregistrement à la tête de la célébrissime Academy of Ancient Music, créée par Christopher Hogwood en 1973, Richard Egarr inscrit l'œuvre de Haendel dans un espace de clarté jouant sur les nuances et les couleurs comme rarement. Avec une maitrise parfaite du discours musical, il donne à l'ensemble de l'opus 3 une cohérence et une unité de ton remarquables. Prélude à un vaste projet dédié à Haendel, ce Super Audio CD en pur DSD, à la prise de son respectant les timbres des instruments en présence et la profondeur de l’image stéréo ou 5.1, est une réussite. Vivement la suite !
Jean-Jacques Millo
|
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
