George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Duetti e Terzetti italiani
Quel fior che all’alba ride (Duetto XV) [7:00]
Giù nei Tartarei regni v’andrem madonna, HWV187 [5:46]
Quando in calma ride il mare, HWV191 [4:10]
Amor gioie mi porge [6:41]
Caro autor di mia doglia (Arcadian duet), HWV182b [8:02]
Che vai pensando, HWV184 [4:56]
Va, speme infida pur, HWV199 [6:54]
Italian Duet No.10, Tacete, ohimè tacete, HWV196 [9:17]
Se tu non lasci amore, HWV201 [8:24]
Roberta Invernizzi (soprano), Silvia Frigato (soprano), Krystian Adam
(tenor), Thomas E. Bauer (baritone)
La Risonanza (Caterina Dell’Agnello [violoncello], Evangelina Mascardi
[theorbo])/Fabio Bonizzoni (harpsichord)
rec. Abbaye de Saint-Michel en Thiérache, France, 24-27 June 2014. DDD.
Texts and translations included.
GLOSSA GCD921517 [61:10]
Reviewed as 24-bit download from eclassical.com
(also available as mp3 and 16-bit lossless, with pdf booklet, and from
dealers on CD). Subscribers stream in 16- or 24-bit sound from classicsonlinehd.com
(with pdf booklet).
Some of Handel’s most beautiful music was written during
his short stay in Italy in his early twenties. It’s also some of his
least known apart from those works which he pillaged later in his career
in London. Nine of the works here clearly come from that Italian period
and the tenth, though found in a manuscript dating from his return to
Germany, may well also have been written earlier.
Emma Kirkby recorded some of the solo Italian cantatas for Decca L’Oiseau
Lyre (4144732 – special CD from Presto) and BIS (BIS-SACD-1695) but
for a decade now Glossa have been making something of a speciality of
recording the cantatas for solo and multiple voices. In view of the
fact that the Decca Eloquence reissue of the Kirkby recording which
I recommended – review
– has apparently been deleted, though, happily, Presto have released
it as one of their ‘specials’, it’s enterprising and commercially brave
of Glossa to have given us so many volumes in this series, of which
this review is a celebration. I have dipped into those which I had
not previously reviewed and it would be hard to find fault with any
of them.
— GCDP10002: Roberta Invernizzi: Handel in Italy (2-for-1
offer – selections from the series) – Download
News 2013/13
— GCD921515 (2 CDs): Aci, Galatea e Polifemo – stream
(for subscribers) or download
from classicsonline.com (with pdf booklet) (NB download
from eclassical.com,
also with pdf booklet, at $16.19 is less expensive than £15.99 from
classicsonline.com).
— GCD921516: Duetti da camera – subscribers stream
from
classicsonline hd.com (NO booklet) – download from eclassical.com
(mp3 and 16-bit lossless, NO booklet).
— GCD921521: Cantatas for Cardinal Pamphili
— GCD921522: Cantatas for Marchese Ruspoli
— GCD921523: Cantatas for Cardinal Ottoboni
— GCD921524: Aminta e Fillide – for GCD921521-24
please see Download
Roundup March 2009.
— GCD921525: Clori, Tirsi e Fileno
— GCD921526: Olinto, pastore – stream
(for subscribers) or download
from classicsonlinehd.com (with pdf booklet)
— GCD921527: Apollo e Dafne – stream
(for subscribers) or download
from classicsonlinehd.com (with pdf booklet)
Of the works on the new Glossa recording HWV184 and HWV201 seem to be
currently otherwise unavailable. That’s reason enough in itself to
obtain this recording but the quality of the performances is an even
more cogent one. I’ve already used up many of my superlatives in reviewing
earlier volumes in the series but in addition to the wonderful sopranos,
Roberta Invernizzi, who has featured in most of the earlier releases,
and Silvia Frigato, we also have splendid support from two excellent
male singers.
The spot-on accuracy of the singing and instrumental support is superbly
conveyed by the recording: while waiting for the 24-bit to download
I also sampled the mp3 and the 16-bit streamed version from classicsonlinehd.com,
so I’m confident that although audiophiles will prefer the 24-bit, the
16-bit CD will sound fine, too. The booklet of notes, too, is of Glossa’s
usual high quality, so it's a double shame that some of the other volumes
come without booklet as downloads: for these the CDs seem to be the
only option.
I’ve given the link to classicsonlinehd.com where subscribers can stream
this album in 16- or 24-bit sound but whereas their price of £7.99 for
the download is (just) competitive with the eclassical.com price of
$11.01, their £15.99 for the 24-bit download is considerably more than
eclassical.com’s $16.52. Both offer the booklet to purchasers.
The Recording of the Month accolade is relevant to this latest album
in particular but is also awarded to the series in general, as partial
atonement that though I’ve been listening to all the constituent volumes,
I haven’t kept up with reviewing them all.
Brian Wilson
