Handel...The Harmonious Blacksmith Of Music

Started by Dancing Divertimentian, April 06, 2007, 06:36:56 PM

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Bogey

Quote from: Octave on March 30, 2014, 10:19:03 PM
1.
Bogey got rid of his Kirkby/Hogwood Handel disc!   ???
I support gifting as among the greatest of acts, but WTH.



David's responsible for getting me on board with Bach.  Nothing I can give him to repay the debt I owe. :)
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

Jo498

Quote from: DavidW on March 28, 2014, 08:56:12 AM
More so than Vivaldi (you compared the two).  I have listened to many recordings of even esoteric concerti of Vivaldi.  I think that Handel's greatest contribution was in opera and oratorio.  But Handel like Lully and Scarlatti are underrepresented (as compared to Bach) even though their operas made a monumental impression during their time.  imo
I think there are about 30 or more complete recordings of Handel's op.3 and op.6 as well as of the more famous organ concerti. I doubt that many of Vivaldi's concerti, except for the ubiquitous 4 seasons have been recorded so many times. After Bach's Brandenburgs and Suites, 4 seasons and Fireworks/Water Handel's concerti grossi are probably the most frequently recorded baroque music, clearly better represented than anything by Telemann, Zelenka or Corelli.
There's no doubt that overall Handel's operas, oratorios and other vocal works are more important, but his concertos and also the 8 1720 harpsichord suites are certainly among the most important music of their time in the respective genres.

And by now most of this stuff is quite well represented on disc. There are more great recordings of op.6 or op.4 than there are of the "Chandos Anthems" (which is a pity, because the pieces are great, but there is hardly anything besides Christophers complete set which is good, but not great imo)
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Henk

What is your favorite recoding of the Conceri Grossi, op. 6? Is there an ultimate recoding of it?

The new erato

I have these and am happy with them:

[asin]B003RTM9E6[/asin]
[asin]B00000C2A4[/asin]

But there are a plethora of recordings, with some superb ensembles.

Jo498

Of op.6 I have heard Scherchen, Marriner (Argo/Decca), Harnoncourt, Pommer, Hogwood, Manze and most recently de Vriend.

Probably Harnoncourt is still my favorite, although it is controversial and justifiedly so. It is the most strongly characterised of those, with a fairly large tutti, some little cadenzas added and very "rhetorical". This neglects the more elegant and "sprightly" aspects of the music. If you like Harnoncourt's "Paris" symphonies you will probably like that as well (although the recorded sound is not as great, but o.k. for early 80s).

Manze is the most chamber-like of the ones mentioned, very good in its way, but I could use a little more "pomp" and also diversity. Marriner is Marriner, very good for its vintage, but mostly elegant and sprightly. Pommer is a very odd mix between a fairly big-sized, conventional chamber orchestra and some historical mannerisms, it can be found very cheaply, but I would not really recommend it, although I find some movements interestingly done.
The "safest" choice would probably be Hogwoods. It is not hugely different from Manze, but a little bigger sounding, some broader tempi.
I was slightly disappointed with de Vriend's, because it had received some rave reviews, but would have to re-listen to be more specific. I found it somewhat "cold", although it is certainly interesting, e.g more embellishments than Hogwood.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

JCBuckley

Quote from: Henk on December 18, 2014, 03:07:19 AM
What is your favorite recoding of the Conceri Grossi, op. 6? Is there an ultimate recoding of it?

I don't now about 'ultimate', but the Manze set is the one I most often return to.

Henk

I haven't evaluated the recordings I have enough. I think the Manze is a good one as well. I also have Dyer, that's a good set, I like the approach, but it lacks some fire. Orpheus ensemble was my first recording and I enjoyed it, but it was my first encounter to the works, so my opinion about it is biased. I need to relisten to that set. I think, this:
[asin]B001KPKPF4[/asin] is a great set as well, full of passion.

I need to get the Hogwood. He also wrote a biography of Handel, I noticed.

Jo498

Hogwood also has a beautiful op.3 (not sure if this is as easily available as his op.6 twofer). This has the advantage of more interesting reconstruction of op.3/6 (a patchwork by the editor) and you get the organ concerto movement (the traditionally second of op.3/6) as a bonus. To my knowledge only Goodman/hyperion does a similar thing (but I have not heard his recording). The otherwise brilliant more recent op.3 with Egarr has an extemporised organ slow movement and the organ concerto movement.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Moonfish

It is Handel's birthday today (Feb 23)!!!!   8)
Bring out the wine, cheese and harpsichord!!!

"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

North Star

Quote from: Moonfish on February 23, 2015, 11:32:08 AM
It is Handel's birthday today (Feb 23)!!!!   8)
Bring out the wine, cheese and harpsichord!!!
And don't forget the sopranos
https://www.youtube.com/v/uj3SQbz-DaQ
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

Moonfish

"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Bogey

There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

king ubu

Quote from: Bogey on March 28, 2014, 07:45:45 AM
Another wonderful disc that is entering the tray:


Just ordered that one ... love me some Händel (or more than some, really!), but have hardly any chamber music of his so far.
Es wollt ein meydlein grasen gan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Und do die roten röslein stan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Fick mich mehr, du hast dein ehr.
Kannstu nit, ich wills dich lern.
Fick mich, lieber Peter!

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/

Jo498

My favorite Handel chamber recordings are the Trios op.5 with La Stravaganza Salzburg (Intercord); this used to be really hard to find but now there are apparently several fairly cheap used offers at amazon.de (I am almost tempted to get another one as backup or for a gift.) It's the most luxuriously ornamented I have heard.

Another great mixed disc is on Zigzag with a French ensemble (Amandine Beyer plays the violin). Manze's disc is good but somewhat violin dominated.

[asin]B0000T6KFK[/asin]


[asin]B002K687ZM[/asin]
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

king ubu

Es wollt ein meydlein grasen gan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Und do die roten röslein stan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Fick mich mehr, du hast dein ehr.
Kannstu nit, ich wills dich lern.
Fick mich, lieber Peter!

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/

Jo498

Handel's chamber music is a mess.
There are three opus numbers but probably none of these publications was supervised by Handel. The trio sonatas op.2 and op.5 are all authentic works, although most of op.5 are arrangements from orchestral pieces (like ouvertures or ballett pieces from operas). My rec for opus 5 is Stravaganza Salzburg (with Rampe on harpsichord). They use traverse flute in two sonatas.

I do not have a strong rec for op.2 but London Baroque on harmonia mundi is pretty good (violins only) and 2-3 of those sonatas have also been frequently recorded with mixed instruments: flute/violin, recorder/violin or also with two oboes. (Especially of the latter version there are also modern instruments recordings, e.g. by Holliger)

There are 3 (so-called Dresden) trio sonatas, one of which HWV 394 E major is considered spurious, one HWV 392 F major very probably authentic and another one (the best and most famous one) HWV 393 g minor maybe authentic. The latter is included in the Zigzag discs shown above. The others I have only in the Brilliant/CRD recording with Holloway et al. They also have another one HWV 403 C major about which I cannot even tell the authenticity status.

There are 6 further trio sonatas HWV 380-85, reputedly composed by the teenaged Handel in Halle before 1700 but nowadays believed to be much later (1730s) and not by Handel. There is  recording on hyperion but I have not heard it.

About the other mess, op.1 (comprising most of the solo sonatas), maybe some later time.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

king ubu

Thanks a lot for all of this information, both here and in the other threads!
Es wollt ein meydlein grasen gan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Und do die roten röslein stan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Fick mich mehr, du hast dein ehr.
Kannstu nit, ich wills dich lern.
Fick mich, lieber Peter!

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/

kishnevi

Bump for a crosspost from the main listening thread.


Just finished a first listen to one of Handel's greatest works.
[asin]B00000300Z[/asin]
The neglect of this is criminal.  As best I can tell, this is the only recording.  Fortunately, the performance is excellent, even the treble, Connor Burrowes, who sings Benjamin.

Must have for anyone interested in Handel's oratorios

Dancing Divertimentian

Handel's oratorios are fantastic! And there are many which haven't gotten the notoriety they deserve. His first oratorio, Esther, is worth a listen.

I haven't heard Joseph and his Brethren so thanks for the heads up!



Veit Bach-a baker who found his greatest pleasure in a little cittern which he took with him even into the mill and played while the grinding was going on. In this way he had a chance to have the rhythm drilled into him. And this was the beginning of a musical inclination in his descendants. JS Bach

Jo498

Strictly speaking, his first oratorios would be the two italian pieces "La Resurrezione" and "Trionfo del tempo ed il disinganno" written when Handel was in his early 20s in Italy.

They are both fantastic pieces but rather different from the later English oratorios: Very "Italian", that is brilliant, virtuoso solo singing (also some virtuoso passages for instruments, the short sinfonia from the "Trionfo" was probably one of the first pieces with a concertante keyboard (organ) ever), hardly any choral passages.

An early German language "Johannespassion" was almost certainly not written by Handel; the "Brockes-Passion" from ca. 1716-18 is an uneven (overlong) piece but worth a listen for some strong sections, some of which were also recycled for the earliest English oratorios like Esther and/or Athalia. Bach had a copy of the Brockes-Passion and may have conducted it in Leipzig. Some of the libretto of Bach's St. John's borrows from the Brockes-Text and the first vocal piece of the Handel "Von den Stricken meiner Sünden" might remind one of a similar aria in the (later) Bach St. John.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal