Search - George Frederick Handel, Brook Street Band, Carolyn Gibley :: Handel's English Cantatas

Offbeat Repertoire -- Exquisitely Performed

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 04/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Handel's Italian Cantatas are well enough known these days (though we could use a complete edition), but I wager that few Handelians have ever heard of, much less heard, his three surviving English Cantatas. These works date from various phases of Handel's career in England and, predictably, consist entirely of recycled material--mostly from operas Handel was working on at the time. Attentive listeners will also recognize an aria from *Acis and Galatea* and one from *Judas Maccabaeus* (though in the latter case, which incarnation came first may be an open question). In recasting music for the more intimate genre of the chamber cantata, with its pastoral texts inhabited by sundry nymphs and swains, Handel reduced the instrumentation primarily to "trio sonata" texture (two violins and continuo), and thoroughly recast the music to suit its new purpose. The results are both fascinating and invigorating. Handel was constitutionally incapable of dullness; even in relatively minor works such as these, the composer's creative currents flow unimpeded.



In addition to the cantatas, this 2-CD package also includes several English "songs," which will also be unfamiliar to most listeners. Strophic in form, modestly scored for voice and continuo, yet with greater invention and elaboration than, say, Pepusch's settings of John Gay's stylized folksongs, these works will charm the ear and warm the heart--particularly when sung with such robust brio as they are in this recording.



Indeed, the singing and playing in both genres is exemplary. The two vocalists, Nicki Kennedy (Soprano) and Sally Bruce-Payne (alto) consistently beguile the ear with exquisite tone and flights of stunning virtuosity. They characterize their amorous longings and laments with evident relish, though Bruce-Payne's declamation can sometimes be unduly histrionic.



The Brook Street Band provide exquisitely turned, if somewhat raw-toned instrumental support. Given the prevailing pastoral idiom, however, earthy sonorities are by no means inappropriate.



Crystal-clear recording in an aptly intimate acoustic space, together with full documentation (including texts), set the seal on a first-rate addition to the Handel Discography. Strongly recommended--and not just to those interested in Handelian esoterica."