Exceptional
jsa | San Diego, CA United States | 07/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The back cover of this release announces that it's the first recording made by the Academy of Ancient Music under their new director, Richard Egarr; & that it's the first in a projected series of Handel recordings. Well, it's a triumph in every way & I look forward to the next release. The playing by the AAM is solid & energetic, but not too energetic as it sometimes could be under Andrew Manze, whose own super-virtuoso flourishes occasionally teeter on the brink of excess. The music is so fresh-sounding that it sometimes seems almost improvised, as indeed some of it is -- Richard Egarr provides his own middle movement, a tasteful interlude for solo organ, for the delightful 6th Concerto.
The sound? Full, rich & dynamic. The lavishly produced package includes interesting liner notes by Richard Egarr. What else can I add?"
Handel for a New Generation of Listeners
Ray | 08/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Richard Egarr's new recording of Handel's Concerti Grossi opus 3 with the Academy of Ancient Music is a welcome addition to the existing catalog of Handel performances. We are told that Egarr and the AAM are in the process of be releasing additional new Handel recordings, and if this example is representative of the one's to come, we can only look forward to these with the greatest of expectations.
Handel is greatly known for his famous "Messiah," and is perhaps most revered as an outstanding oratorio writer, but to explore his orchestral works - as few of these as there may be - can be a true joy. It is rumored that Beethoven viewed Handel as the world's greatest composer, particularly being impressed with Handel's ability to do a lot musically with a very small set of instruments. While the Concerti Grossi don't necessarily fit into the description of "small" in terms of their instrumental support, Handel's creative genius bursts forth in both the opus 3 (and even more so in the magnum opus 6). To know these pieces is probably to love them, and one can find oneself endlessly despaired that Handel did not develop more of these extraordinary pieces.
The Academy of Ancient Music, along with its memorable association with Christopher Hogwood, brought the world to understand anew the meaning of "original instruments" beginning in the 1980's. Scores and scores of these works were released by Hogwood and the AAM, most to critical acclaim. There is no question that this effort revolutionized our understanding of classical music, because it helped us to understand and differentiate what we hear in today's modern orchestral "sound" from what the composers heard (and intended) when they originally wrote their pieces. One criticism of the movement, however, has been that some of these performances could sound shrill, and perhaps a touch harsh, and that if restoring the original instrument format resulted in such characteristics, perhaps we should just keep quiet and enjoy the fuller sonority and richness of the modern instrument format. Egarr's and the AAM's recent Handel entry completely dashes this concern. The music is full, rich, and not harsh. We can enjoy Handel's music in a way that Handel intended, but still have a "smooth" (for lack of a better, more technical, term) sound that is akin to the smoothest of modern instrument performances.
This is why one should look forward to the new recordings promised to come out in this series. It is an exciting thing to see this new focus on Handel's great music, and this is a disc that the Handel listener should richly enjoy. The price is quite steep, but if one considers this is the price we pay for opening up a whole new line of inquiry into the world of Handel, it really can be justified, and perhaps, encouraged. Congratulations both to Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music for this great new Handel entry.
"
Superb Handel
R. Robbins | 05/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Richard Eggar has the AAM producing music with energy & joy. Combined with great arrangements and, to my ear, perfect tempi, kmake an irresistable combination."
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1
