Classical Albums:
Handel: Arias from Serse, Ariodante, Alcina; Royal Fireworks Music
- Main Performer: Sir Charles Mackerras
- Languages of Booklet Text: English
Review
This Novalis re-release is a vocal and orchestral double bill, unified by the world-class work of conductor Charles Mackerras. Disc one is mezzo soprano Ann Murray's excellent collection of Handel arias (with Mackerras and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment), originally released in the mid-'90s on Forlane, and disc two is Mackerras with the English Chamber Orchestra playing the Royal Fireworks Music and the three Concerti a due cori, HWV 332-334. Both are truly outstanding, and bound to please many fans of Handel's operatic and orchestral masterpieces.Murray performs some of Handel's best-loved arias from Giulio Cesare, Serse, Alcina, and Ariodante, including "Piangerò," "Ombra mai fu," and "Scherza infida." Her voice is nearly ideal for this repertoire: clear, flexible, and even from top to bottom. The da capo repeat of "Piangerò" is ornamented with unusual expressivity -- a nice change from the perfunctory passing tones and trills that you often hear. Best of all, Murray is sensitive to the individual qualities of each aria, making subtle adjustments to her singing throughout. Only the most hardcore sticklers for treatise-based historically informed singing are likely to object to her approach, or the results.
Mackerras and the ECO bring a beefy, impeccably tuned sound to the Royal Fireworks overture, emphasizing the grandest qualities of this most occasional of pieces without ever sacrificing rhythmic sharpness or clarity. The subsequent movements only get better; the sinewy, chromatic inner parts of the Bourrée, the brilliant fanfares of "La Réjouissance," and the slightly heavy-footed grandeur of the concluding Minuet are all perfectly realized. As a bonus, an alternative version of the overture is included at the end.
The three Concerti a due cori are far less inspired works, but they round out the program nicely enough. They are interesting for their "name that tune" value, made up as they are from excerpts from various other, often more famous, works, like Messiah. But their best feature is their antiphonal choirs of instruments (thus the title "a due cori"), which provide for a constantly varying texture and sound. The present recording doesn't highlight that antiphonal quality very well, but reproducing special effects on a recording is never easy. ~ Allen Schrott, All Music Guide
