# Handel opera/cantata box sets



## Elgarian

My Baroque odyssey of recent months has led me in a strange roundabout way to Handel (the quirkiness of having arrived at Handel via Couperin, Charpentier, Mondonville, Delalande, Lully, Rameau, Durante and Purcell rather tickles me), most particularly his vocal music, which I've blithely been ignoring all my life on the assumption that it wasn't 'my kind of thing'. I now find it's very much my kind of thing after all, so I've been dutifully studying the Penguin and Gramophone Guides to see where to go, and which recordings to get.

First up for consideration was _Alcina_, in the famous version by Christie and Les Arts Florissants with a star-studded cast (Fleming, Graham, Dessay), thus:










(available here for £41)

But ... this recording has been reissued as part of the Warner 'Handel Edition' in a 6 CD box, thus:










Now this is available for a mere £19 here, AND you _also_ get _Orlando_, in the highly regarded Christie version, thrown in for good measure. _Orlando_, bought separately on Amazon, would knock you back another £41 (see here). So in this reissued box set, we get both works for £19, instead of £82 when bought separately.

There's a snag of course. Although there is a booklet in the 6CD box, which has an effective keyed synopsis for each work, it has no librettos (unlike the original issues). However, £63 for two librettos doesn't seem like good value.

The good news is that the librettos can be downloaded from the Warner website, and printed out - which is what I've done. I don't like this much - I'd far prefer to have the librettos in booklets contained within the sets; but the really important thing is that the librettos are available in an accessible form that works. And the final outcome is that by buying the box, and making do with the online material, these two superb recordings/performances can be had at about £3 per disc.


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## jhar26

I have the _Alcina_/Fleming recording - the £41 version.:angry: I have an _Orlando_ recording also - not this one but the Christopher Hogwood version.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> I have the _Alcina_/Fleming recording - the £41 version.:angry: I have an _Orlando_ recording also - not this one but the Christopher Hogwood version.


Well, I can't get enough of this stuff. It's like eating chocolates - once I start, I can't stop. I've only listened to about half of _Alcina_ so far, but I'm tending to leave a disc in the player pretty much all the time while I'm pottering about doing things, without following the plot properly. I can't believe how accessible this music is - how easy to enjoy, and such marvellous tunes.

Truth is, that this _Alcina_ alone is worth £41 of anyone's money, so I don't think you need to shed too many tears over the price you paid.


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> Well, I can't get enough of this stuff. It's like eating chocolates - once I start, I can't stop. I've only listened to about half of _Alcina_ so far, but I'm tending to leave a disc in the player pretty much all the time while I'm pottering about doing things, without following the plot properly. I can't believe how accessible this music is - how easy to enjoy, and such marvellous tunes.
> 
> Truth is, that this _Alcina_ alone is worth £41 of anyone's money, so I don't think you need to shed too many tears over the price you paid.


I don't shed any tears over it because at the time when I bought that _Alcina_ the industry wasn't yet going through the crisis it's going through right now and there weren't yet those kind of bargains that there are now - not as many anyway. And I agree that it's a wonderful opera and recording.

Two other Handel opera discs I love...


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


>


I've certainly got this one on my 'to buy' list, and your additional recommendation will clinch it.

Do you have this wonderful _Acis and Galatea_, Gaston?










Sophie Daneman is simply wonderful as Galatea - she is rapidly becoming my yardstick for baroque soprano singing. (I should explain what I mean, because I have no concept of the technical issues: I'm talking purely about the subjective effect - the light, airy fluency; the apparently understated but deep emotional expression; the shiver up the spine.)


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> Do you have this wonderful _Acis and Galatea_, Gaston?


No, I haven't. But I'm sure it's a winner, so I've put it on my wish list.


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## Elgarian

OK, this is not a box set, but I need some help here:










I have yet to read anything about this CD that doesn't declare it to be near perfection. "This may be the finest recital of Handel arias ever recorded" says the Gramophone reviewer, awarding it their highest rating. I've been steeping myself in Handel during the last few weeks with the greatest pleasure, and so I settled to listen to this with more than the usual buzz that accompanies a new purchase.

Well (admittedly after only one listening), I don't get it. An awful lot of this CD seems to consist of something rather like fast virtuoso yodelling. I can see that it's astonishingly clever; I can see that maybe no one else can do such things so well as Sandrine Piau does on this CD; but I can't see why I might want to listen to it for more than 10 minutes (if that). When I compare this with the heavenly singing of Sophie Daneman in (say) _Acis and Galatea_, I just don't understand.

I'm not going to give up. I am going to persist, grit my teeth, ignore the headache, and try my damnedest to love it as I should. But if someone could give me a word or two of encouragement, I'd be mighty glad of it ....


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## Elgarian

Elgarian said:


> I'm not going to give up.


Well, today I feel rather silly. On a second listening I discovered (a) that there is far less on this disc of what I call 'yodelling' than I thought there was; and (b) that there's quite a lot of marvellously evocative singing on it. What went wrong yesterday? I don't know. The wrong sort of biorhythms? Got out of the wrong side of the bed? Too high expectations?

Whatever the reason, I was talking rubbish. It's true that there's more 'yodelling' than I'd like, but there's lots and lots to enjoy as well. My apologies, Mme Piau.

_Memo to self: Listen at least twice before posting about new music...._


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## jhar26

I love the Fleming recital (but as you know I'm partial to Fleming), but calling the Piau disc the "finest recital of Handel arias ever recorded" is rare praise indeed. If it weren't for your doubts I might even be tempted to buy it myself.


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> Well, today I feel rather silly. On a second listening I discovered (a) that there is far less on this disc of what I call 'yodelling' than I thought there was; and (b) that there's quite a lot of marvellously evocative singing on it. What went wrong yesterday? I don't know. The wrong sort of biorhythms? Got out of the wrong side of the bed? Too high expectations?
> 
> Whatever the reason, I was talking rubbish. It's true that there's more 'yodelling' than I'd like, but there's lots and lots to enjoy as well. My apologies, Mme Piau.
> 
> _Memo to self: Listen at least twice before posting about new music...._


 I guess you can ignore my previous post which I wrote while you were posting your second thoughts.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> If it weren't for your doubts I might even be tempted to buy it myself.


I think you'd be better off ignoring my doubts. Who knows what will happen after another couple of listenings? I'm turning into a flibberty-gibbet.

Incidentally, Penguin also pick it out as superb: they give it a three star rating and mark it as a 'key' recording.


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> I think you'd be better off ignoring my doubts. Who knows what will happen after another couple of listenings? I'm turning into a flibberty-gibbet.


As long as everything keeps improving each time you listen that must be a wonderfull problem to have.


> Incidentally, Penguin also pick it out as superb: they give it a three star rating and mark it as a 'key' recording.


Penguin gives almost everything a three star rating though. 'Key recording' - you mean they give it a rosette?


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> Penguin gives almost everything a three star rating though. 'Key recording' - you mean they give it a rosette?


No, a 'key' recording has a little key symbol by it to draw attention to it as their top recommendation. The 'rosette' is a special award given to a recording by a single member of the reviewing team who has a particularly high regard for it (which may not necessarily be shared by others, I suppose).


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> No, a 'key' recording has a little key symbol by it to draw attention to it as their top recommendation. The 'rosette' is a special award given to a recording by a single member of the reviewing team who has a particularly high regard for it (which may not necessarily be shared by others, I suppose).


I see. I only have a very old penguin guide (mid-90's I guess) where they didn't yet use the key symbol.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> I see. I only have a very old penguin guide (mid-90's I guess) where they didn't yet use the key symbol.


There are a few recordings that qualify for both a key AND a rosette ....


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## Elgarian

Here are a couple of irresistibles that I'm awaiting in the post:



















OK, they aren't box sets, but this still seems the best place to put this post. The de Niese seems irresistible because I've been so overwhelmed by her in the Glyndebourne _Giulio Cesare_ DVD, though reviews have been a bit cautious about this collection.

By contrast, I remember reading a review of the Kozena collection somewhere (MusicWeb?) where the reviewer found her treatment revelatory. So I'm going to give both a try (is anyone familiar with them?), and add them to my Sarah Connolly and Sandrine Piau collections of Handel arias.


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## Elgarian

Oh Crikey, I shall bankcrupt myself at this rate. I've just discovered this:










Trouble is, I'm guzzling Handel tunes like lollipops at the moment, so I can't resist this collection of duets. _Gramophone_ award it their highest rating (three discs) as well as their 'diamond' (unrivalled) rating. I've listened to a few 30 second snippets - far too short of course - but what I heard was ravishingly beautiful - for my money, there's nothing quite so exquisite as a mezzo and soprano voice entwining with each other. So, Ms DiDonato and Ms Ciofi, I'm very much looking forward to your arrival.

Meanwhile, I really must comment once more on the fabulous singing of Sophie Daneman in the _Acis and Galatea_ set:










Her performance of the aria 'As when the dove' is so haunting - I just can't get it out of my head.


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## Elgarian

I've been listening to Ms de Niese, who arrived today. Fascinating. So much of what I hear is coloured by what I already know. For example, when she begins, singing the electrifying 'Da Tempeste' from _Giulio Cesare_, it's impossible not to see her as she was in the famous Glyndebourne performance, swaggering back and forth across the stage, with mock salutes, sexy and cheeky bounces, and the rest. Once you've seen that, you can't merely _hear_ her. I can't, anyway.

There's a second influence, too. Having watched her chatting away on the Glyndebourne DVD, and having enjoyed sharing her bubbling enthusiasm for what she does, there's a tendency simply to like her so much that it's not possible to listen in an unbiased way.

Put simply, I love this CD of Handel arias. I think sometimes there's a certain subtlety lacking. Her 'Lascia ch'io pianga', for instance, doesn't explore the delicacies, the nuances, as completely as I might hope for if it were someone else singing. And yet I'm happy to accept this version because it's hers; because this is the way she's chosen to sing it. Really, sometimes listening to music involves some very intricate psychology, and no mistake.

If you're wanting to hear Handel arias sung as well as they can be sung, then maybe this isn't the CD for you. But if you want to spend 70 minutes in the company of Danielle De Niese, being seduced, charmed, excited, thrilled, and generally being exposed to an irresistible musical personality, then you'll love this, for its limitations as well as its (at its best) tremendous strengths.


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## jhar26

It gets a very positive review on Classics Today.

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=11264


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> It gets a very positive review on Classics Today.
> 
> http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=11264


Thanks for this - that's a heartwarming review. I think the reviewer has been drawn in just as I was, but he expresses more precisely what I was trying to say: "She lacks the ability to sing absolute pianissimo--to spin a line in an ethereal way (as in otherwise fine versions of "Lascia ch'io pianga" and "Piangero...")"; yes, that's true, but the point is (as he recognises) - it doesn't actually matter. Well, it might matter for the technical purist - but if you want warm, empassioned, committed, living (and sexy) singing, than this is it.


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## Elgarian

I'm liking this CD by Danielle more and more, the more I listen to it. Well, 'liking' is too mild a word by far - it makes me laugh, sigh, dance, conduct the orchestra, and jolly well feel better about the world. I haven't quite found myself attempting her cheeky thigh-slapping trick yet, but I'd certainly describe this package as - (Tapkaara, where are you?) - a whole heap of fun; but the richest, most life-enhancing, most lasting fun imaginable.

For comparison, the Ciofi and Di Donato album of Handel duets arrived this morning, and I played a bit of it, and I know I'll love it in due course, but I soon realised that what I really wanted, then and there, and indeed here and now, was the warmth and life of Danielle's stuff, so I did a quick replacement..... Since then, it's been spinning almost all day. Fabulous. You need one of these, Gaston, and if you don't love it I'll eat my hat.

(PS I don't have a hat.)


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> I'm liking this CD by Danielle more and more, the more I listen to it. Well, 'liking' is too mild a word by far - it makes me laugh, sigh, dance, conduct the orchestra, and jolly well feel better about the world. I haven't quite found myself attempting her cheeky thigh-slapping trick yet, but I'd certainly describe this package as - (Tapkaara, where are you?) - a whole heap of fun; but the richest, most life-enhancing, most lasting fun imaginable.
> 
> For comparison, the Ciofi and Di Donato album of Handel duets arrived this morning, and I played a bit of it, and I know I'll love it in due course, but I soon realised that what I really wanted, then and there, and indeed here and now, was the warmth and life of Danielle's stuff, so I did a quick replacement..... Since then, it's been spinning almost all day. Fabulous. You need one of these, Gaston


Yes, I guess I'll have to. You're a good salesperson, Alan. If they had some people like you at Decca, EMI, DG, Phillips and HM the record industry would be flourishing, I'm sure.


> and if you don't love it I'll eat my hat.
> 
> (PS I don't have a hat.)


In that case I will settle for the £5 million.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> In that case I will settle for the £5 million.


Trust me - when you hear this CD, you'll lose interest in the £5 million.


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## jhar26

Another rave review 

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:160651


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> Another rave review
> 
> http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:160651


That one has no reservations at all, does it? Those comments about her singing for the sheer joy of it are bang on the mark.


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## Elgarian

But take a look at the string of reviews on Amazon.com here. Look at the vast divergency of opinion! What's that all about?


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> But take a look at the string of reviews on Amazon.com here. Look at the vast divergency of opinion! What's that all about?


Strange to say the least.


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## Elgarian

And look at this stinker of a review on MusicalCriticism.com, here.

If it's as bad as Dominic McHugh says, why am I loving it so much?

*Footnotes:*

1. I've just been listening to the bit where he says she's out of tune at 3.54 in the ninth track, but it sounds to me like an expressive slide which perfectly expresses the chilling idea of pitilessness, actually (which after all is what she's singing about).

2. He talks about the final cadence in 'Dolce Riposo' leaving her 'cruelly exposed' - but I can't hear what he's talking about. The whole of that aria is sung with such feeling that it makes me melt inside.

3. Then again, he questions 'whether de Niese's voice is really distinctive enough for the recording studio'. Distinctive enough? I could recognise her voice on this CD if it was playing in an adjacent street, at the bottom of a well. What can he mean?

4. Where I _can_ understand his comments, is when he talks about the excessive forwardness of the voice recording, the 'over-vigorousness' and so on. That affected my first impression of this collection (see #18 above); but that was before I realised this recording is, above all, an expression of character. It's her personal take on Handel, not for the purist. I think that's why it so divided the customers on Amazon.com. It's Baroque-and-roll.


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## Elgarian

I'm posting too much in this thread, but that's because there's so much to say. I've been listening to _Alcina_ - the Fleming/Graham/Dessay/Christie recording - and I can't get past Act I - I just keep playing Dessay's aria 'Tornami a vagheggiar' over and over, without proceeding to Act II. This is breathtaking stuff, don't you think? Her singing sounds as if she's drawing music from the air and just passing it on to us. The decoration (which tends to make me squirm a bit, sometimes, when it's overdone) is so natural, like the singing of birds or the murmur of leaves in a light breeze.

To turn from Dessay's version, which I might think of as perfection in a way, to de Niese's version, is to encounter a completely different vision of the music; equally sincere, equally heartfelt, and equally convincing. Where Dessay is the epitome of the light-as-air naturally precise coloratura soprano, De Niese is sexy, rich, sensual and full of joy. I think it's _fabulous_ to have two such different, equally authentic, approaches to the same piece.


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## xJuanx

Elgarian I can see you're really into Haendel vocal stuff, and I have a marvellous cd to recommend:










It basically contains the best baroque singers, singing this exquisite duets Haendel did when he was young and studying in Italy.


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## Elgarian

Many thanks for the recommendation. I'll add it to my list!


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## Elgarian

I'm starting to feel as if I'm in danger of becoming someone who gushes over every CD purchase at present; but the truth is that most of my recent purchases generate that kind of enthusiasm. There are a lot of collections of Handel arias around (so many that I've read at least one review actually lamenting their commonness), but maybe not so many collections of Handel _duets_. I suppose this is primarily because there are a lot fewer Handel duets than Handel arias, but this disc makes me regret that imbalance. Ciofi and Di Donato sing with voices that seem perfect foils for each other. My guess (it's only a guess, because I know nothing of technique) is that this is highly accomplished singing in a technical sense; but if so, it's achieved with no loss of expression whatsoever.

OK, like all such collections, the music is ripped out of context and thereby loses in dramatic impact; but when the result is as beautiful, as exquisite, as powerful, as this, it just makes no sense to protest. If I were out to choose the five most beautiful CDs I've heard during the last year, this would be among them.


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> Do you have this wonderful _Acis and Galatea_, Gaston?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sophie Daneman is simply wonderful as Galatea - she is rapidly becoming my yardstick for baroque soprano singing. (I should explain what I mean, because I have no concept of the technical issues: I'm talking purely about the subjective effect - the light, airy fluency; the apparently understated but deep emotional expression; the shiver up the spine.)


I've ordered it about an hour ago.


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> I've ordered it about an hour ago.


You will love it. Of course you'll get turned into a fountain at the end, but it's worth it.


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## Elgarian

I've just been listening to it again. It's a lovely Spring day - lots of sunshine, and almost but not quite warm enough to take a portable stereo and an opera set out into the garden. So I ate my lunch by the window, looking out into the garden, and listening again to _Acis and Galatea_. If you're wanting something profound and serious, this is not it. But if you're looking for something that suits a sunny spring day, that has the feeling of the open air, warm breezes, murmuring brooks and rustling leaves, all with a slightly sensual undercurrent, then this is it.

Polyphemus is a daft brute, but his presence is necessary and not without humour; the choruses are perfect, to these ears; and Sophie and Patricia are ... well, Sophie and Patricia - no one else is comparable. The tunes are a delight, and there are several wonderful highlights. I can't think of anything better to listen to on a bright Spring day. And even though the plot doesn't touch us in the way it would if these were 'real' people, the mythic character means it still does touch us in other, less recognisable, but still profound ways.


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## Elgarian

Well, my goodness. By all accounts the recording of _Ariodante_ with Lorraine Hunt, under Nicholas McGegen, made in the 1990s, is a bit of a winner. It seems to have gone out of print for a while, but then was re-released in 2007 (perhaps because Lorraine Hunt died the previous year?). So I decided to buy one, and it came through the letter box this morning. What a bundle of family fun! This sort of thing sets the standard for box sets, and I thought I'd share my pleasure in opening it.

First off, there's the box - which seems a bit thicker than normal. Here's the front and back:

















Then we open the box: big thick booklet with elegant cover, notes and libretto on the left, and a rather interesting-looking folder on the right, containing the CDs:










So we take the folder out of the box and start to open it:










... and here it is fully opened:










But the fun isn't over. As each CD is removed from its holder, it reveals beneath it a couple of drawings of two of the characters from the opera:










Oh yes, and it sounds pretty good, too.


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## jhar26

Looks like another winner, Alan.


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## Elgarian

Well, it's that time of year when we get glimmers of what we hope is to come; the sun's been out all day, and in the afternoon it was warm enough to sit out in the garden with the portable CD player, headphones, mug of hot chocolate, a chunky Kitkat, and ... _Ariodante_, Act I.

Really, Handel goes on amazing me. What a towering giant the man was. The music is superb, and the performances wonderful; the only possible complaint is that Lorraine Hunt is so brilliant as Ariodante that she tends to put the rest of the cast in the shade a bit - which they really don't deserve, for they are very good indeed. A sneak preview of Act II suggested that was going to be even better; but that's for another day.


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## Elgarian

*HALF PRICE HANDEL*

I was browsing idly among Handel CD sets on Amazon and came across a recent recording of _Parnasso in Festa_ (2CDs), recently released by Hyperion, applauded by _Gramophone_ and greatly reduced in price as a special Amazon offer.










No samples, though. Maybe they had some on the Hyperion website, I thought, so off I went.

Well yes, Hyperion had lots of samples, but even better, I discovered they have a Handel half-price sale on at the moment! I could buy (post free) direct from Hyperion for significantly less than Amazon's special offer price. So I registered on their website and deposited a copy of _Parnasso in Festa_ in my basket - whereupon I was informed that if I spent another £6 I could have an additional 10% discount. Well, must be worth a look, I thought, and soon sniffed out this 2 CD set:










So I chucked it into the basket, to be told that there was also a way of getting a 15% extra discount if I bought something else. But I was already spending money I didn't have, so enough was enough.

If you want to help yourself to some excellent, highly acclaimed less-than-half-price Handel, here's where to go:

Hyperion's Handel Half Price Sale


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## Elgarian

There's so much brilliant Handel out there that it would be easy to become rather gushing about it all (some might raise an eyebrow at the word 'would be' and replace it with 'has been'); but Ladies and Gentlemen, the party is OVER. Here are a couple of warnings.

First, this:










The music is superb, except, except ... for the voice of Diana Moore. I've found only good reviews of this recording, but I must say that Diana Moore has a degree of non-stop extreme vibrato that I find increasingly hard to handle as the music unfolds. Since she sings the role of Apollo, and Apollo has rather a lot of singing to do, if her voice troubles you, then that's an awful lot of trouble in store. There are times when her vibrato reminds me of machine gun fire. So please, listen to some samples before you buy this. If you don't have a problem with so much vibrato, then you'll love this set. If you do ... I suggest looking elsewhere.

Second, this:










This 3CD set has a lot going for it. It's Christie; it's Les Arts Florissants; it's Sophie Daneman. What more can you want? And really, it seemed fine until I got to the aria 'As with rosy steps the morn'. It's sung by Juliette Galstian, as Irene, and I thought, this is quite pretty, but - hang on - I've heard this aria before, and the last time I heard I was almost moved to tears. Then I remembered that I'd seen Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson singing it on Youtube; here she is:

Lorrain Hunt-Lieberson

I can't begin to express the gulf between this performance and Juliette Galstian's. It's not just that they're different; it's that one reaches to the heart of the music and the other just sings the notes. This aria ought to be one of the highlights of this piece, and it's really quite a damp squib.

So be careful if you're looking for a _Theodora_. This one, for all its other merits, is a bit of a let-down for me.


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## xJuanx

I've just heard Lorraine Hunt singing that Theodora aria. My goodness! Breath-taking! Such a pity she's gone 
Thanks for sharing that!


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## Elgarian

xJuanx said:


> I've just heard Lorraine Hunt singing that Theodora aria. My goodness! Breath-taking! Such a pity she's gone
> Thanks for sharing that!


It's a powerful reminder, to me, of the fact that what we hear is determined as much by the performer as by the composer; the difference in this case is so large that it took me a while to be sure that it was the same piece of music.

Have you heard her version of 'With darkness deep?', also from _Theodora_? I find the passages with the long, slow, gently modulated notes extraordinarily moving.

With darkness deep - Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson


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## Elgarian

Just when I thought I was in for a smooth financial ride this month, this turned up:










It's entirely fabulous. The recording goes back to the early 1980s, but it's been reissued on Hyperion's budget label and thank goodness for that. I've been listening to these three cantatas all day. I love the intimacy of them - the small-scale, chamber feeling is really beguiling, and yet they can really rock&roll when they need to. The two sopranos sing with a crystalline quality that seems perfectly suited to the music; the playing seems first rate. Everyone on the recording seems to be loving what they're doing. I knew nothing of these early chamber cantatas before, but they have all the freshness of morning in them, and interspersed among them are tunes I know from the later work - appearing here, and delightfully in a different context, for the first time.

I want more. I want more! Well, there _is_ more. First, the same folks have made a companion CD also on Helios. Second, there's a project under way by Fabio Bonizzoni and La Risonanza to record all these cantatas. The first 5 volumes are already available and highly acclaimed, and there's a sale on at Prestoclassical where they can all be bought at much reduced prices for the next couple of weeks. I have already dipped a toe - alright, several toes - into the water. Is there no end to this man GFH? Is there no end to these temptations? Will they be the ruin of me?


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## nefigah

Elgarian said:


> Lorrain Hunt-Lieberson


Alan, once again you pull from the depths of the tenebrous pit that is Youtube a gem of extravagant beauty.

I'm *far* from qualified enough to be able to say this, but I think that is one of the best female voices I've ever heard. Especially efficacious was her ability to maintain the same level of emotion despite the dynamic level.

Thank you.


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## Elgarian

nefigah said:


> I'm *far* from qualified enough to be able to say this, but I think that is one of the best female voices I've ever heard.


I'm not qualified either, but I agree with you. I'm awaiting the arrival of a collection of Handel arias by her and will report back.


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## ecg_fa

Thanks for all the info on Handel opera/oratorio box sets-- I like many of the ones mentioned-- esp. the Wm. Christie and Hyperion ones & that Ariodante of McGegan/Lorraine Hunt (Hunt's solo album of Handel arias is also very good IMO). Also that Ciofi/Di Donato
duet album I think is fantastic !! Recently I'm enjoying the new 'Alcina' on Archiv Records, though it has somewhat light and sedate orchestrations/accompaniment by Alan Curtis & Il Complesso Barocco. Some fantastic singing I think. Esp. from DiDonato, Maite Beaumont
and Karin Gauvin. The best singing I've heard from Gauvin in fact. I also like DiDonato's 'Furore' album of Handel arias-- if as title implies, they're all 'dramatic' ones, and also
(maybe surprise for this repertoire), Angelika Kirchschlager's 'Handel Arias' album. There're
really so many fine recordings of Handel the past 10/15 years-- almost a glut, or 
'embarrassment of riches' anyway!

Ed


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## jhar26

ecg_fa said:


> There're
> really so many fine recordings of Handel the past 10/15 years-- almost a glut, or
> 'embarrassment of riches' anyway!
> 
> Ed


Yes, there's been a major turnaround in Handel's fortunes for the last two decades or so. Although he's always been considered one of the greats up until relatively recently only his half a dozen or so most popular works were recorded with any regularity. But the same is true for the other baroque composers too. Bach is the only one who's works were recorded extensively in the pre-authentic instruments period.


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## Elgarian

Handel's early Italian cantatas hardly count as 'opera box sets', I know - but even so I'm going to include them under the umbrella of this thread, partly because they are effectively musical dramas on a chamber scale, and partly because so often ideas emerge here that one recognises as the germs of subsequent operatic arias. I've made a start, listening to the Bonizzoni recordings on the Glossa label, beginning with volume 2:










The material is new to me, as are the performers; but so far, listening to _Armida abbandonata_, I'm enchanted by what I'm hearing. The cantata begins in an extraordinary manner, with single soprano voice set against an agitated violin accompaniment - as if the curtain has just risen on action that we've interrupted, as it were. So we're plunged into following a trail of footprints, wondering what the heck is going on, until suddenly the mood shifts, and Armida gives in to her tiredness. She's been on the trail of her unfaithful lover for a while, it seems. We can feel the sad exhaustion as she continues her song now with only harpsichord accompaniment, and there are a few moments where a recognisable famous theme, already known through a later opera, breaks through: it's used here in seminal fragmentary form with wonderful effect as she sings, 'you part and leave me prey to pain'.

This one cantata, lasting only about 15 minutes, single-handedly makes nonsense of the idea that Baroque music is devoid of emotion. We're driven relentlessly through Armida's full spectrum of emotions as she passes from anxiety, through sadness, to anger; from anger to uncertainty, and finally to a kind of pleading regret. The singing, insofar as I'm any judge (not very far, I admit) seems faultless; the instrumental work work sympathetic and delicate, yet violent and vigorous when need be. I could almost be converted from a lifelong aversion to the harpsichord to a wholehearted acceptance of it, so well does it match and complement the singing.

That's just the first cantata on this CD. There are four more on it. And there are four more CDs in this series (still growing) to explore.... This is fabulous stuff. I could drown in this music.


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## Elgarian

I anguished for days - nay, weeks - about this, but finally took the plunge and it arrived today:










Six operas: _Rodrigo_, _Radamisto_, _Admeto_, _Fernando_, _Arminio_, _Deidamia_ - courtesy of Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco.

*The plus side:* Very handsome box; 16 CDs; incredible bargain. To buy these operas separately would cost about three times the price of this box, even assuming you could find them all.

*The minus side:* Although there is a (thin) booklet, it merely gives the track listings. There are no librettos in sight. That's not to say there are no librettos, however: the 16th CD contains pdf files of librettos for all the operas. I don't like the idea; I really, really prefer a booklet. But to have had to spend at least another £70/80 just to get the booklets by buying the separate sets would have been more madness than even I could justify. (In any case, _Deidamia_ is out of print, and secondhand copies seem to cost £50 or so, which is crazy.)

So I settled for the box.


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## Elgarian

Just a quick heads-up on this recent release for Handel opera fans wondering about venturing into a DVD or two:










Details here.

Two acclaimed Glyndebourne productions of _Rodelinda_ and _Theodora_, plus a kind of musical documentary about Handel in London. Three DVDs for the price of one. Worth buying just for the performances of Lorraine Hunt and Dawn Upshaw in _Theodora_, and to go for a walk with Sarah Connolly as she prowls through London at night singing 'Scherza Infida'.

Lorraine Hunt singing 'As with rosy steps'

Dawn Upshaw singing 'With darkness deep'


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## Elgarian

Is no one else out there listening to Handel these days? This thread's gone very quiet.

I've just made my first acquaintance with _Amadigi_, which also happens to be the first performance of Handel by Minkowski that I've heard:










It's full of great music (not to mention thunderclaps) but one item in particular stands out: the aria 'Tu mia speranza' in Act 2. Quite extraordinary. The instrumental work consists of long, hard-driven bass notes with a kind of stabbing effect produced by the higher strings - and the vocal works against this background. It's hard to believe this was written over 250 years ago - it sounds so very modern and rock&roll. I can't find a sample on Youtube, unfortunately.


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## nefigah

Elgarian said:


> the idea that Baroque music is devoid of emotion.


I didn't realize anyone harbored such an opinion!


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## Elgarian

nefigah said:


> I didn't realize anyone harbored such an opinion!


Strange, but true ....


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## Elgarian

This has been sitting unused for about 3 weeks now - and I know why. As I suspected, the absence of libretto booklets, and the consequent need to fiddle about with pdf files on the computer is a definite barrier to progress. But yesterday I had an attack of what-the-heck, and just grabbed the first disc of _Radamisto_ and popped it in the player while I ate my lunch. I had no idea of the plot, but set out just to listen to the music as music, with just a tracklisting in front of me. Wow. What music! And what performances! Joyce DiDonato is here; so are Patrizia Ciofi and Dominique Labelle and others - and between them they set this opera alight.

Later I gave the same treatment to the second disc (of 3), which was as superb as the first. OK, I know I need to look at the pdfs available on the CDRom and somehow get a libretto together that I can use while listening, but in the meantime, I must say that at this moment it hardly seems to matter. This box now looks even more like a bargain than it did before.


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## Elgarian

I mentioned buying this back in July, but haven't reported since that it's rapidly become one of my very favourite Handel recordings. It's full of the most glorious tunes, and covers a whole range of emotions (as you'd expect from a dialogue between these particular protagonists). But also the feeling of Arcadian delight in some of the passages is so exquisite that tears are not far away.

There are lots of samples at the Hyperion website here. Try tracks 9 and 10 for starters. (Susan Gritton and Lorna Anderson sing like angels on this record.)

Incidentally, my listening to these Arcadian masques, cantatas and the like, has been enriched quite a bit by reading this book:










Not because it has direct bearing on the music - it doesn't. But dipping into the book and being exposed to the exquisite Poussin landscapes affects the mental imagery as I listen. Just as the paintings tend to mythicise our experiences of natural landscape, so they also mythicise the mental landscapes we enjoy when we listen to the music. Well worth a look if you're delving into Handel's Italian cantatas, or pieces like this _L'Allegro._ It adds another dimension to the listening.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Great to see people discovering the music of Handel, who I think, is on par with any other great composers of opera after Handel's time to today.

_L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato_ contains one of Handel's best single movements; go to part three and listen to the duet "As steals the morn upon the night".

I have two versions of _L'Allegro_: (already listed above) performed by The King's Consort, and The English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner.


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## ozradio

I've put the opera box set on my wish list. I haven't found any oratorio box sets, however. Just yesterday I received Decca's Handel Masterworks box set that has Hercules, Judas Maccabaeus, Solomon, Israel in Egypt, and, of course, Messiah. Also the opera Giulio Cesare. Beyond this it seems his oratorios are sold separately as far as I can tell. But this box should keep me busy for a while (no librettos here, either).


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## Elgarian

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> _L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato_ contains one of Handel's best single movements; go to part three and listen to the duet "As steals the morn upon the night".


Yes, exactly. I won't hear a word said against any of it. 'As steals the morn' is wonderful, as you say, and the piece as a whole would be among my favourite half-dozen Handel works.


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## ozradio

My copy of Israel in Egypt did not come with libretto and all I can find online is parts 2 and 3. Is part 1 available online somewhere?


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## Elgarian

Quickly resurrecting this thread to point out that Hyperion are currently offering this at half price:










See here:
Handel Italian cantatas

How long this will remain I don't know - probably only a few days - but for anyone unfamilar with the exquisite cantatas this would be an inexpensive way to try them, beautifully performed. There are extensive audio samples at the link. Earlier in this thread (#43) I wrote this about this disc:



> It's entirely fabulous. The recording goes back to the early 1980s, but it's been reissued on Hyperion's budget label and thank goodness for that. I've been listening to these three cantatas all day. I love the intimacy of them - the small-scale, chamber feeling is really beguiling, and yet they can really rock&roll when they need to. The two sopranos sing with a crystalline quality that seems perfectly suited to the music; the playing seems first rate. Everyone on the recording seems to be loving what they're doing. I knew nothing of these early chamber cantatas before, but they have all the freshness of morning in them, and interspersed among them are tunes I know from the later work - appearing here, and delightfully in a different context, for the first time.


What I can't understand is how this found its way into Hyperion's ten least popular CDs (in order to qualify for the sale price). Madness.

There's also an excellent companion disc of Handel cantatas available (not in the sale, but still cheap anyway) by the same group of people:










Samples here.


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## Elgarian

I thought it might be helpful to update this thread with regard to Handel's early Italian cantatas - of which the choice is now so large, and of such high quality, that I find it almost impossible to single out individual recordings to recommend. I wouldn't want to lose any of the ones I'm going to list here.

The Glossa series, with Bonizzoni and La Risonanza, is now concluded and comprises six volumes altogether. I've given a link alongside each CD image to the full details of what's on the disc, (plus performers etc) at the Glossa website:








Le Cantate per il Cardinal Pamphili








Le Cantate per il Marchese Ruspoli








Le Cantate per il Cardinal Ottoboni 








Aminta e Fillide








Clori, Tirsi e Fileno








Apollo e Dafne

Listening to Handel's cantatas is a bit like eating chocolates. Once you start, it's hard to stop, and every one is a delight that urges you on to the next. There's an attractive lightness about them (I don't mean they're frivolous - just that there's a small scale 'chamber' feeling about them). Their Arcadian character is one that I find immensely appealing, as I've noted in earlier posts, and I'd be astonished if any lover of Handel's operas wouldn't fall in love with these cantatas too. Apart from anything else, Handel plundered these, years later, for tunes for the operas - so frequently there's a feeling of recognition when a familiar tune pops up.

This series isn't cheap, (though if you hunt around you can often find good offers), but they're worth every penny and according to my ears, there isn't a dud amongst them. They're beautifully presented too, in card foldouts with an excellent booklet.


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## Elgarian

Moving on now beyond the Glossa series, this (see above) is a 2CD set published by Brilliant Classics that, until recently, was available for the absurd price of just a few pounds. The soprano is the Hungarian Maria Zadori. It now seems to be an elusive item, though copies can still be found - for example here on Amazon UK - but no longer at the old derisory price, alas.

These 2 CDs were issued originally as separate releases on the Hungaroton label, and they're still available - for example PrestoClassical stock them:

















Again, these are full price issues. But the reason I'm making such a fuss about them is because of all the performances of Handel's cantatas that I know, these are my favourites. There's something about Maria Zadori's voice that seems perfect for singing these pieces. I can't describe it - I find myself using words like 'catch' or 'lilt' that gives added feeling, almost a sense of intimacy, to certain phrases.

If you chance across these two discs either separately or in the 2CD box at anything like the old price, my advice is to snap them up instantly. If I had to give up all my Handel cantata sets one by one, these two discs would be the last I'd part with.


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## Elgarian

And then there's this mystery pair:

















These two were released last year (2009) as the first two instalments of a programme to record the complete set of cantatas, by Marco Vitale and Contrasto Armonico. They came out on the Brilliant label (I wondered if they were considered to replace the earlier Maria Zadori set) at knock-down prices, and they're really delightful: Stefanie True sings with a crystalline clarity that's perfect for the job. And yet, curiously, although they're still available at the usual outlets, I can't find them in the online Brilliant Classics catalogue. Furthermore, I've seen no reference to any further recordings from the series in the pipeline.

So what's going on is a mystery at present, but in the meantime, snap up these two cheap CDs while you can. They're lovely performances, with period instruments, and come with complete librettos and translations despite the low price.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Excellent suggestions, Elgarian. You are missing on one of the _La Risonanza_ CDs. There are now seven in the complete set. I have the first six, yet to buy the seventh, which came out earlier this year.

I have both CDs by _Contrasto Armonico_/Marco Vitale. Am also curious why they have stopped issuing further. But recording projects often get put on hold perhaps indefinitely or even cancelled if there is insufficient demand to justify the business case.

I don't have either of the Maria Zadori CDs. (But I do have all the works recorded on these performed by other artists). Might snap them up if you recommend them so highly.

As for the Hyperion, yes; I can agree they are all delightful. I have those you mentioned.

At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with Handel!


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## Elgarian

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> You are missing on one of the _La Risonanza_ CDs. There are now seven in the complete set. I have the first six, yet to buy the seventh, which came out earlier this year.


Thanks. Yes you're right of course - I can't understand how I came to overlook volume 6, but here it is:








Olinto pastore


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## jhar26

Elgarian said:


> Moving on now beyond the Glossa series, this (see above) is a 2CD set published by Brilliant Classics that, until recently, was available for the absurd price of just a few pounds. The soprano is the Hungarian Maria Zadori. It now seems to be an elusive item, though copies can still be found - for example here on Amazon UK - but no longer at the old derisory price, alas.


Are the texts (and translations) included in the booklet?


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## Elgarian

jhar26 said:


> Are the texts (and translations) included in the booklet?


As far as the Brilliant 2CD set is concerned, there are texts in Italian, but no translations. I don't know if there are translations in the original Hungaroton releases. (Wasn't Almaviva buying one of those Hungaroton ones? If so, he could tell us.)

But frankly, the singing is so good, and speaking purely personally, I find that the general mood is all I need, and that the precise contents of these typically pastoral Arcadian texts, with shepherds declaring undying love for shepherdesses, and shepherdesses being somewhat sceptical of the shepherds' motives, aren't really all that important ...


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## ozradio

I've picked up a couple cds of Italian cantatas but no libretti were included. Are these available online to anyone's knowledge?


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## Elgarian

ozradio said:


> I've picked up a couple cds of Italian cantatas but no libretti were included. Are these available online to anyone's knowledge?


I don't know of any online librettos (so far I haven't needed to look, though a brief search turned up nothing obvious). However, if you'd like to list the ones you need, I might be able to provide some of them them using the documentation I have.


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## Chasman

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> _L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato_ contains one of Handel's best single movements; go to part three and listen to the duet "As steals the morn upon the night". QUOTE]
> 
> "There, held in holy passion" is its equal, I think.


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## Elgarian

Elgarian said:


> And then there's this mystery pair:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These two were released last year (2009) as the first two instalments of a programme to record the complete set of cantatas, by Marco Vitale and Contrasto Armonico. They came out on the Brilliant label (I wondered if they were considered to replace the earlier Maria Zadori set) at knock-down prices, and they're really delightful: Stefanie True sings with a crystalline clarity that's perfect for the job. And yet, curiously, although they're still available at the usual outlets, I can't find them in the online Brilliant Classics catalogue. Furthermore, I've seen no reference to any further recordings from the series in the pipeline.
> 
> So what's going on is a mystery at present, but in the meantime, snap up these two cheap CDs while you can. They're lovely performances, with period instruments, and come with complete librettos and translations despite the low price.


I thought this series on the Brilliant label had run aground, but no. Volume 3, after a 2-year wait, is with us at last:


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










Listening to it today was (as ever with these cantatas) a delight. Maybe it doesn't reach quite the heights of the equivalent performances of _Aminta e Fillide_ on the Glossa and Helios labels, but it's still capable of making the day feel better, and for a few pounds - well, it's not worth _not_ having one, it seems to me.

(Full libretto and translation included.)


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I have those three discs, too. At that price, Brilliant Classics is giving practically them away. Highly recommended. I hope they finish the project. The label has been quite consistent with several other complete oeuvre recordings, so I have high hopes.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Update: Volume 4 of the set scheduled by Christmas this year! On its way, slowly but surely.


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## Elgarian

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> Update: Volume 4 of the set scheduled by Christmas this year! On its way, slowly but surely.


Oh that's great news! Thanks HC.


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## Guest

Elgarian, I'm fairly new to these boards and I've just loved reading your enthusiasm about baroque opera. I ADORE IT.


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## Elgarian

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Elgarian, I'm fairly new to these boards and I've just loved reading your enthusiasm about baroque opera. I ADORE IT.


What a lovely - and heartening - thing to say. Thank you.

Where do your own preferences lie? Handel, specifically? Lully? Rameau? Vivaldi?


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## Guest

Handel, Monteverdi, Rameau, Lully - in that order!! I've been fortunate enough to go to Theater an der Wien here in Vienna, recently, to see productions of "Castor und Pollux" with Les Talens Lyriques and Handel's 'Rodelinda' with Concentus Musicus Wien/Harnoncourt recently, and also Wiener Staatsoper, "Alcina" with Musiciens de Louvre, Grenoble/Minkowski. The latter was the first time in over 50 years an orchestra other than the Wiener Staatsoper Orchestra had been in the pit in that famous house!! I wouldn't know WHERE to begin to tell you how wonderful these were!! Can there be anything more invigorating than baroque opera on period instruments? THEY LIVE!!


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## Elgarian

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Handel, Monteverdi, Rameau, Lully - in that order!! I've been fortunate enough to go to Theater an der Wien here in Vienna, recently, to see productions of "Castor und Pollux" with Les Talens Lyriques and Handel's 'Rodelinda' with Concentus Musicus Wien/Harnoncourt recently, and also Wiener Staatsoper, "Alcina" with Musiciens de Louvre, Grenoble/Minkowski. The latter was the first time in over 50 years an orchestra other than the Wiener Staatsoper Orchestra had been in the pit in that famous house!! I wouldn't know WHERE to begin to tell you how wonderful these were!! Can there be anything more invigorating than baroque opera on period instruments? THEY LIVE!!


Indeed they do - and what a splendid time you've been having with those live performances. I agree with you completely about the period instruments; on the face of it, people may think of it as a sterile retreat into the past, but on the contrary, it's potentially the most effective means of bringing the music of the past, pulsing and vibrant, into the present. I'm often to be heard insisting that Handel invented rock & roll.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Handel, Monteverdi, Rameau, Lully - in that order!! I've been fortunate enough to go to Theater an der Wien here in Vienna, recently, to see productions of "Castor und Pollux" with Les Talens Lyriques and Handel's 'Rodelinda' with Concentus Musicus Wien/Harnoncourt recently, and also Wiener Staatsoper, "Alcina" with Musiciens de Louvre, Grenoble/Minkowski. The latter was the first time in over 50 years an orchestra other than the Wiener Staatsoper Orchestra had been in the pit in that famous house!! I wouldn't know WHERE to begin to tell you how wonderful these were!! Can there be anything more invigorating than baroque opera on period instruments? THEY LIVE!!


Welcome. You can't go wrong with Handel and period instrument performances!

You made me very envious of your recent concert experience. _Rodelinda_ was one of his best and then under Harnoncourt ... I'm crying I missed out!


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## Guest

Thanks Elgarian and Harpischord Concerto - I never take for granted for a single minute the privilege of going to Theater an der Wien to see these wonderful, wonderful operas. I've waited decades to do it. What gives me a buzz is sharing my space in that theatre with the Viennese cognoscenti who very much know what they like and how they like it. They're great champions of all types of music, believe me. And looking over at those German subtitles of Italian and French texts: gives me one hello-of-a-buzz!! Last night Leipzig Gewandhausorchester/Chailly playing Beethoven 2 and 5. Again, an attentive and knowing audience of Beethoven-lovers. So, it just GETS BETTER!!

And Beethoven? He's 'THE MAN'!!!


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## Elgarian

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> And Beethoven? He's 'THE MAN'!!!


I'm tempted to take this up a little, but I mustn't - not in this thread. So back to Handel and my next question. Personally, I'm hard-pressed to choose between Handel's operas and his early Italian cantatas. I know - not at all the same thing - but if I really _had_ to choose between them, I think I might choose the cantatas. Are you inclined in that direction yourself? Or are you a firm opera person?


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## Guest

I think what Handel wrote in every genre just astounding. What about his keyboard music? Just superb. He was a real master of all he 'surveyed'!! But, I would choose the operas over the cantatas by a whisker. Otherwise, apart from the baroque, I can take or leave opera - except "Cosi", "Magic Flute", "Don Giovanni" and "Seraglio", written by a master who was in his greatest genius when writing for the theatre.

I don't really want to argue about Beethoven with anybody - I think he and Bach equal as the greatest composers who ever lived. Others will have a different opinion and I accept that. What I LOVE is that people love such music enough to want to write and talk about it. Vive la Beethoven!


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## Elgarian

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> I don't really want to argue about Beethoven with anybody


Oh I'm sorry - you misunderstood me, and I now see why, reading again what I wrote. By 'take this up' I meant 'respond to your implied invitation to talk about Beethoven' - I wasn't in any sense challenging your view of him. All of these amazing composers are 'THE MAN' in their own way, as far as I'm concerned.


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## Guest

Oh, I forgot to mention PURCELL in my list of great baroque composers!! His music is just extraordinary. Elgarian, I'm glad you like Beethoven too. My musical journey started at age 9 and by 18 I already owned quite a few Beethoven piano sonatas in LP recordings. He dropped off the radar for a couple of decades and in the last 10-15 years he has overtaken everybody (oh, not Bach) to become my (joint) Supreme No. 1. I agree all the other composers are quite amazing too, oh yes, but there's something about LvB and Bach. But, this is off-topic. I'll try and check out another thread to see if I can discuss LvB and Bach.


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## Elgarian

I'm coming back to all this after a gap of about 7 years. I've been listen to Handel's early Italian cantatas a lot again, recently, reminding myself of how exquisite they are. Designed for summer evenings in a garden among trees: just a handful of instruments, a soprano voice borne on a warm breeze, and string sounds that seem almost like a part of nature itself.

Is anyone out there still listening to Handel's cantatas?


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## Josquin13

Interesting thread, thanks Elgarian.

Yes, I've been listening to Handel's cantatas. In recent years, to Fabio Bonizzoni's excellent series on Glossa, which you've already mentioned, along with Marco Vitale's 'almost' complete Handel cantata survey (with Contrasto Armonico)--which is one of the highlights of Brilliant's "Handel Edition" box set: https://www.amazon.com/Handel-GEORG...D=61sGNjDjEhL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail .

However, my favorite Handel cantata recording of recent years has been a Deutsche Harmonia Mundi CD release from Ensemble Zefiro, led Alfredo Bernardini. It includes two Handel cantatas--the premiere recording of "Venus and Adonis" (which is probably Handel's first attempt at setting English words to music) and the Italian "Mi palpita il cor", coupled with a single German aria, and some of the finest and most delightful Handel Trio Sonata playing I've ever heard (featuring wind players from Zefiro). The soprano in the two cantatas (and aria) is the excellent Italian soprano, Gemma Bertagnolli (who handles all three languages well). I'd strongly recommend this CD to Handel enthusiasts:

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Venus...pID=51vtWCC6SeL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

& fortunately, the album can be listened to in its entirety on You Tube:






Here's another sound clip to Zefiro's Handel Trio Sonata playing, which I've enjoyed immensely:





Handel's "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day" (1739) should also be mentioned. Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians. Handel set his music to a poem by John Dryden. This is a masterwork in my view, and essential Handel. The early Pinnock recording is excellent; though I'd recommend getting an alternative view, since Pinnock can be a tad on the conservative side in Handel (some have said 'staid' or 'square', but I wouldn't go that far, at least not in this cantata). Marc Minkowski has made an excellent recording too, and he's not at all conservative--so the French performance makes a nice compliment to Pinnock's. There's also a very fine recording from Robert King, with soprano Carolyn Sampson, on Hyperion, and another well sung version on Naxos, with soprano Dorothee Mields, conducted by Wolfgang Helbich: so there's lots to sample & choose from:






https://www.amazon.com/G-F-Handel-O...pID=61tHhmyYLEL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Marc-Minkows...=1527524100&sr=1-18&keywords=handel+minkowski
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Ode-S...pID=51nq7GYMA3L&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Ode-S...pID=51wk3aUrBxL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


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## Elgarian

Very many thanks for these recommendations - just what I was hoping for. I'm particularly interested in the Bertagnolli _Venus and Adonis_, and will add that to my 'To buy' list.

Do you have the two recordings of cantatas sung by Maria Zadori? They were originally on the Hungaroton label; then they appeared as a box set on the Brilliant label for a short time, until superceded by the Vitale series. But I find, still, they contain some of the most exquisitely and sensually sung cantatas I know. It seems it's still possible to find copies of the set:
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Italian-Cantatas/dp/B00009W3RL/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1527555410&sr=8-8&keywords=handel+zadori


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## JSBach85

For italian Cantatas I purchased some years ago "La cantate Italiane di Handel" recorded by Ensemble La Risonanza / Fabio Bonizzoni, in Glossa, with outstanding sopranos Roberta Invernizzi, Yetzabel Arias Fernandez, Nuria Rial and mezzosopranos Romina Basso, Marina de Lisso. As a guy told me one day: this reflects that Handel was more italian than italians themselves :lol:

Vol. I. Cantante Per Il Cardinal Pamphili 









Vol. II. Cantate per il Marchese Ruspoli









Vol. III. Cantate per il Cardinal Ottoboni









Vol. IV. Aminta e Fillide









Vol. V. Clori, Tirsi e Fileno
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clori-Tirsi-Fileno-Risonanza-Bonizzoni/dp/B001OBVAEE/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1527577876&sr=1-9&keywords=handel+risonanza

Vol. VI. Olinto Pastore
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handel-Olinto-Pastore-Cantate-Italiane/dp/B002TW37PM/ref=pd_sim_15_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=M3SPC7VZ36VTCEMWNAH7

Vol. VII. Apollo e Dafne
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handel-Apollo-cantate-italiane-GRAMOPHONE/dp/B003JIQEBO/ref=pd_sim_15_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5VFQZMG1BD1NWV32DG7F

Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, Serenata a tre, HWV 72
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handel-Aci-Galatea-Polifemo-Serenata/dp/B00D8AIU7Y/ref=pd_sim_15_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5VFQZMG1BD1NWV32DG7F

Duetti da Camera
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handel-Cantatas-Cardinal-Pamphili-Risonanza/dp/B000GI34CW/ref=pd_sim_15_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5VFQZMG1BD1NWV32DG7F

Duetti e Terzetti italiani
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handel-Terzetti-italiani-Roberta-Invernizzi/dp/B011VX0OFU/ref=pd_sim_15_8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5VFQZMG1BD1NWV32DG7F


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## Elgarian

JSBach85 said:


> For italian Cantatas I purchased some years ago "La cantate Italiane di Handel" recorded by Ensemble La Risonanza / Fabio Bonizzoni, in Glossa, with outstanding sopranos Roberta Invernizzi, Yetzabel Arias Fernandez, Nuria Rial and mezzosopranos Romina Basso, Marina de Lisso.


Yes I agree that these are outstanding productions, and old favourites. As a matter of fact I've just been listening to volume 2 in the sunshine, outdoors for the last hour. They often seem to be perfect for listening outdoors, and I suppose that's because they were often written for that purpose - to be performed in the patron's garden on a summer evening.


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## Josquin13

Elgarian said:


> Very many thanks for these recommendations - just what I was hoping for. I'm particularly interested in the Bertagnolli _Venus and Adonis_, and will add that to my 'To buy' list.
> 
> Do you have the two recordings of cantatas sung by Maria Zadori? They were originally on the Hungaroton label; then they appeared as a box set on the Brilliant label for a short time, until superceded by the Vitale series. But I find, still, they contain some of the most exquisitely and sensually sung cantatas I know. It seems it's still possible to find copies of the set:
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Italian-Cantatas/dp/B00009W3RL/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1527555410&sr=8-8&keywords=handel+zadori


I've just checked my large 'complete' Brilliant Handel Edition, and frustratingly no, it doesn't contain the Italian Cantatas sung by Maria Zadori. So, onto the wish list it goes. Thanks for the tip, Elgarian.


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## Josquin13

Here are my 11 favorite Handel sopranos, with links to representative recordings that I've liked (listed in no particular order):

1. Roberta Invernizzi (especially for her excellent work with Fabio Bonizzoni on the Glossa Handel Cantata series):

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Italy...s-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+fabio+bonizzoni
https://www.amazon.com/Queens-Rober...D=61Dan-T9qWL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Caton...pID=61sqfmTlkFL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

2. Ann Hallenberg (especially her many fine Handel opera recordings, with Alan Curtis--such as her Tolomeo, Fabio Biondi, Andras Spering, & others):

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Hande...7525802&sr=1-7&keywords=Ann+Hallenberg+handel
https://www.amazon.com/Hallenberg-B...p3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=curtis+tolomeo

3. Emma Kirkby (especially for her early Handel recordings with Christopher Hogwood):

https://www.amazon.com/Kirkby-sings...r-strip-0&keywords=handel+emma+kirkby+hogwood
https://www.amazon.com/Academy-Anci...r-strip-0&keywords=handel+emma+kirkby+hogwood
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Sacre...1527525945&sr=1-6&keywords=Emma+Kirkby+handel
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Domin...527525945&sr=1-11&keywords=Emma+Kirkby+handel

4. Carolyn Sampson:

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Germa...529993&sr=1-9&keywords=handel+carolyn+sampson
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Great...529993&sr=1-5&keywords=handel+carolyn+sampson

5. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson:

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Arias...34046&sr=1-9&keywords=nicholas+mcgegan+handel
https://www.amazon.com/Lorraine-Hun...pID=41urCcEggPL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

6. Dame Janet Baker (my favorite mezzo-soprano):

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Ariod...D=61Vz%2BEJeomL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Janet-Baker-...pID=51HmO0lewxL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Handel-...1527526223&sr=1-8&keywords=Janet+baker+handel

7. Monika Mauch: I wanted to include Mauch because she is probably my favorite Bach soprano (having first heard her in Eric Milnes' brilliant Bach Cantata series from Montreal), although Mauch hasn't done much Handel yet, except for the "Nine German Arias" (that I know of). Mauch has the most flawless intonation, to my ears, it's incredible:

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-G-F-G...bums-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+monika+mauch

8. Elly Ameling (one of my favorite sopranos--in Handel, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Faure, Poulenc, Strauss, etc.. Sir Neville Marriner's Messiah on Argo was my first exposure to Handel's music, and Ameling's wonderful singing on that LP set imprinted on me):

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Messi...sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Marinner+handel+ameling

9. Suzie Le Blanc (Le Blanc gets my vote for the most underrated Baroque soprano on the planet. What a remarkable singer.):

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Love-...pID=51pA55iphcL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Clori...7540853&sr=1-2&keywords=Handel+Suzie+le+Blanc
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Acis-...D=61fXTsQqxQL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
https://www.amazon.com/LeBlanc-Port...rd_wg=kC4cq&psc=1&refRID=GCAYQ2FGFG5851HY94RG

10. Arleen Auger (another one of my favorite sopranos--especially in the music of Handel, Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Schubert, Wolf, Strauss, Ravel, etc.):

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Alcin...527525097&sr=1-8&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Handel-...pID=51MJ8589wrL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Orlan...D=512%2BGG6WkGL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Messi...f=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1527525097&sr=1-
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Germa...527525097&sr=1-6&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Dixit...527525097&sr=1-7&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Belsh...27525097&sr=1-10&keywords=handel+arleen+auger

11. Julianne Baird (Baird recorded one of my favorite CDs of Mozart Songs, with Colin Tilney: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-W-Voc...ms-bar-strip-0&keywords=mozart+julianne+baird. Her Handel is excellent too:

https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Itali...ms-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+julianne+baird
https://www.amazon.com/Handel-G-F-V...ms-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+julianne+baird

I've also liked sopranos Gemma Bertagnolli and Stefanie True in Handel Cantatas; as well as Della Jones in Richard Hickox's excellent production of Alcina (with Arleen Auger in the title role), and Joyce DiDonato's Alcina in Alan Curtis's production.


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## Elgarian

Josquin13 said:


> I've just checked my large 'complete' Brilliant Handel Edition, and frustratingly no, it doesn't contain the Italian Cantatas sung by Maria Zadori. So, onto the wish list it goes. Thanks for the tip, Elgarian.


I suppose the attraction of the Vitale series for Brilliant was that it was a growing series - and the Zadori set was fixed at 2 discs only, which presumably is why they dropped it. There are four Vitale discs of cantatas now, aren't there?

I'll be interested to know what you think of the Zadori discs if you can get them. She has a very delicate vibrato which is warmer and 'softer' than (say) Invernizzi, but the attractiveness of the singing of specific sopranos can be a very personal thing of course.


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## Elgarian

Josquin13 said:


> Here are my 11 favorite Handel sopranos, with links to representative recordings that I've liked (listed in no particular order):
> 
> 1. Roberta Invernizzi (especially for her excellent work with Fabio Bonizzoni on the Glossa Handel Cantata series):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Italy...s-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+fabio+bonizzoni
> https://www.amazon.com/Queens-Rober...D=61Dan-T9qWL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Caton...pID=61sqfmTlkFL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> 
> 2. Ann Hallenberg (especially her many fine Handel opera recordings, with Alan Curtis--such as her Tolomeo, Fabio Biondi, Andras Spering, & others):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Hande...7525802&sr=1-7&keywords=Ann+Hallenberg+handel
> https://www.amazon.com/Hallenberg-B...p3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=curtis+tolomeo
> 
> 3. Emma Kirkby (especially for her early Handel recordings with Christopher Hogwood):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Kirkby-sings...r-strip-0&keywords=handel+emma+kirkby+hogwood
> https://www.amazon.com/Academy-Anci...r-strip-0&keywords=handel+emma+kirkby+hogwood
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Sacre...1527525945&sr=1-6&keywords=Emma+Kirkby+handel
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Domin...527525945&sr=1-11&keywords=Emma+Kirkby+handel
> 
> 4. Carolyn Sampson:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Germa...529993&sr=1-9&keywords=handel+carolyn+sampson
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Great...529993&sr=1-5&keywords=handel+carolyn+sampson
> 
> 5. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Arias...34046&sr=1-9&keywords=nicholas+mcgegan+handel
> https://www.amazon.com/Lorraine-Hun...pID=41urCcEggPL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> 
> 6. Dame Janet Baker (my favorite mezzo-soprano):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Ariod...D=61Vz%2BEJeomL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> https://www.amazon.com/Janet-Baker-...pID=51HmO0lewxL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Handel-...1527526223&sr=1-8&keywords=Janet+baker+handel
> 
> 7. Monika Mauch: I wanted to include Mauch because she is probably my favorite Bach soprano (having first heard her in Eric Milnes' brilliant Bach Cantata series from Montreal), although Mauch hasn't done much Handel yet, except for the "Nine German Arias" (that I know of). Mauch has the most flawless intonation, to my ears, it's incredible:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-G-F-G...bums-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+monika+mauch
> 
> 8. Elly Ameling (one of my favorite sopranos--in Handel, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Faure, Poulenc, Strauss, etc.. Sir Neville Marriner's Messiah on Argo was my first exposure to Handel's music, and Ameling's wonderful singing on that LP set imprinted on me):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Messi...sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Marinner+handel+ameling
> 
> 9. Suzie Le Blanc (Le Blanc gets my vote for the most underrated Baroque soprano on the planet. What a remarkable singer.):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Love-...pID=51pA55iphcL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Clori...7540853&sr=1-2&keywords=Handel+Suzie+le+Blanc
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Acis-...D=61fXTsQqxQL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
> https://www.amazon.com/LeBlanc-Port...rd_wg=kC4cq&psc=1&refRID=GCAYQ2FGFG5851HY94RG
> 
> 10. Arleen Auger (another one of my favorite sopranos--especially in the music of Handel, Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Schubert, Wolf, Strauss, Ravel, etc.):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Alcin...527525097&sr=1-8&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
> https://www.amazon.com/Bach-Handel-...pID=51MJ8589wrL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Orlan...D=512%2BGG6WkGL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Messi...f=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1527525097&sr=1-
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Germa...527525097&sr=1-6&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Dixit...527525097&sr=1-7&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Belsh...27525097&sr=1-10&keywords=handel+arleen+auger
> 
> 11. Julianne Baird (Baird recorded one of my favorite CDs of Mozart Songs, with Colin Tilney: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-W-Voc...ms-bar-strip-0&keywords=mozart+julianne+baird. Her Handel is excellent too:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-Itali...ms-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+julianne+baird
> https://www.amazon.com/Handel-G-F-V...ms-bar-strip-0&keywords=handel+julianne+baird
> 
> I've also liked sopranos Gemma Bertagnolli and Stefanie True in Handel Cantatas; as well as Della Jones in Richard Hickox's excellent production of Alcina (with Arleen Auger in the title role), and Joyce DiDonato's Alcina in Alan Curtis's production.


This is a very useful list, which I shall return to from time to time to plunder. Thank you. I know some of these - Janet Baker's performance in the Ariodante she recorded with Raymond Leppard is outstanding, so outstanding that the fact of it not being period performance seems irrelevant. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson too is up there in the stratosphere. Carolyn Sampson I know, too. There's a superb collection of arias by Magdalena Kozena too, which frequently delivers shivers.

Do you know the Christie version of _Acis & Galatea_, with the _tour-de-force_ singing performances from Sophie Daneman and Patricia Petibon? Well worth a try if you don't.


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## Josquin13

No, I've not heard the Christie version of Acis & Galatea, nor Kozena's collection of arias. I've put them onto my wish list, thanks. Yes, I did order the Zadori set, but it hasn't arrived yet. I expect it will be here sometime in early July.


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